RATS have been spotted scurrying around in Florence Park after heaps of food were dumped in the area.

Oxford City Council said residents complained to its pest control department two weeks ago and to its parks department on Tuesday, after spotting rats in the park.

It comes after residents noticed food piling up on the ground near the park’s crazy golf area.

City council parks and open spaces manager Stuart Fitzsimmons said: “We take reports of rats in our parks very seriously and we are taking speedy action to get rid of them.”

Mother-of-three Marcella May said she had noticed a rise in the amount of food being dumped in the park over the past year and contacted the council about two years ago when she first became concerned.

The 36-year-old said her dog became ill after eating some of the food.

Miss May said she tweeted a picture of the waste to the city council but it failed to do anything about the problem. She said: “It’s been going on for a little while but no one has done anything.

“ I’m not going to let the little ones wander off quite freely if there are going to be rats there. I won’t be having a picnic in the park.”

Miss May said she tweeted a picture of rats to the council on Tuesday. The council responded by putting up a notice warning visitors they face an £80 fine if caught dumping waste.

City council spokesman Tom Jennings said the pest control team visited the park over the past two weeks to “assess the issue”.

He said traps were put in the park at the end of last week to try and catch the animals, but said the council gets reports of rats in its parks every year.