I'll drown squirrels as they drive me nuts!

A FORMER Royal Botanic gardener says he is prepared to face the law in his one-man war against grey squirrels.

Fred Wood, 83, of Kirkton Bank, Penicuik, is so eager to rid Scotland of its grey squirrel population that he is even prepared to face prosecution over his own private cull. Mr Wood describes the animals as "rats" and says his preferred option would be to drown them in a water-filled wheelie bin after trapping them, although he has not done this yet.

The former Penicuik and District community councillor, who is partially sighted, said: "In this little wooded area of Cornbank there are hundreds of them running about the streets.

"I would be delighted to be prosecuted for protecting my own home. I would protect my home against anybody – a bloody gorilla, a yob and certainly against a grey squirrel.

"My emphasis is on the safety of people's homes and the damage that these squirrels do to the songbird population.

"They raid the nests, they steal the eggs and they eat the young birds. They eat the protective plastic surface over the electric cables and make a house electrically unsafe."

Mr Wood borrowed a purpose-built trap from a friend to catch the squirrels. The father-of-three, who was born in Stockbridge but has lived in Penicuik for 35 years, killed a squirrel a few weeks ago using the trap but hasn't had any in his garden since.

He has now had to return it as he is currently suffering from a trapped sciatic nerve and is unable to stand.

But he added: " The trap is no use to me just now because I can't stand up, but once a problem arises and if I need another trap, you can bet your boots I'll get another trap – even if I have to get somebody to do it for me."

Mr Wood has contacted the council's pest control department about his concerns and also raised the matter at a recent Penicuik and District Community Council meeting.

He said: "I know they look very cuddly, but they are rats and if you touch one you'll get a bite. They are loaded with fleas which carry pox, which is fatal to the red squirrel."

Chief superintendent Mike Flynn, of the Scottish SPCA, said: "Grey squirrels do not have as much legal protection as their red counterparts when in the wild. However, when they have been trapped they are considered to be under the control of man, and are protected under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.

"As such, if they are to be destroyed it must be done humanely, and the Scottish SPCA does not view drowning as a humane method. Anyone caught using this method could potentially face prosecution for causing unnecessary suffering."