The war against rats on Camberwell Green has stepped up a level after the council erected signs warning people that feeding pigeons could earn them a fine.
A local campaigner has said the signs are a “monumental milestone” and they hope to see perpetrators given penalties and “maybe even imprisoned”.
Last month, locals complained that the small park off Camberwell New Road had been “surrendered” to “demented-pigeon hunting rats”.
WATCH: BBC editor Jeremy Bowen tweets video of rats swarming Camberwell Green
The park’s new signs warn the public that people caught feeding birds risk breaching the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and prosecution in a magistrates court.
The owner of the anti-rat Instagram account ‘Camberwellgreenrats’ said: “The new signs on the green feel like a momentous milestone for the campaign to cull the rats and make our green safe for humanity again.
“However, just yesterday I saw two instances of copious amounts of bread being thrown on the green.
“Hopefully in the future, we will see bird feeders fined and maybe even imprisoned if they continue to defy the signs. The war is not over.”
Southwark Council previously said it had received “no complaints” about the rats but appears to have changed its tune.
“I spend my days trying to kick rats to death”: Camberwell Green anti-rat Instagram account emerges
The problem first gained mass attention when BBC News International Editor and Camberwell local Jeremy Bowen tweeted a video of rats on the green.
The veteran war correspondent had written: “Camberwell Green, South London this afternoon. Rats enjoying what looks like food left for birds or squirrels. Not a good look, not good for public health.”
Southwark Council was recently named Parks for London’s top performing borough for keeping its parks clean.
Southwark is top of this year’s league table for keeping parks clean