Rats on allotments

Last year I noticed a rat on our allotment site so if I saw one I'm sure that there are more! I along with other plot holders suffered damage to our sweet corn cobs, presumably from the rats.

l could net said corn this year but i'm sure rats could easily knaw through the net. Other than encasing the whole sweet corn crop, including the surrouding ground with small gauge chicken wire can anyone suggest an alternative to prevent rat damage. The site is run by the local parish council & even if they sanctioned the use of rat poison I'm sure it would not eridcate all rats from such a large area.

I must admit that it was only sweet corn damage I noticed but was wondering if it was worth growing the likes of cucumbers & corgettes this year in case the rats take a fancy to these crops as well!

 

Mice are the normal culprits for sweetcorn damage.

Rats don't touch mine, rabbits might nibble them, but later in the year mice can bore into marrows and pumpkins, rats tend to go for them a bit later if they've been left outdoors.