Rat rage prompts Fogo Island dump blockade

About 20 residents of a small village on an island off Newfoundland's northeast coast took a stand in blistering heat Monday to halt anyone from entering a communal dump.

Residents of Stag Harbour on Fogo Island said they have had enough with a rat infestation they say could have been prevented.

'There was a rodent in the trap in the basement the size of a two-litre Coke bottle.' —Stag Harbour resident Stephanie Miller

Stag Harbour is only a few kilometres away from a dump that serves a string of Fogo Island communities.

"Every protester here has a story about an encounter with the rodents. They're in backyards, basements and digging through garbage," said CBC News reporter Carolyn Ray.

"They refuse to continue living under these conditions."

The regional council had planned to burn garbage at the dump to control the rat problem, but cancelled the plan because of its expense, which has been estimated at $70,000.

By midday Monday, only one truck had approached the dumpsite. The driver turned around and left.

Stag Harbour resident Stephanie Miller told CBC News last week that residents can no longer accept seeing rats in their homes and cars, and walking over their decks.

"There was a rodent in the trap in the basement the size of a two-litre Coke bottle," she said.