Surge in rat invasions in UK homes prompted by bin collection delays and floods
Britons have been warned to be on the lookout for rats in their home following a spate of flooding and delayed bin collections.
The British Pest Control Association said it has seen a 115% increase in people looking for advice on controlling rats in the last 90 days. It is estimated that there could be as many as 250 million rats in the UK - and winter weather is driving millions of these vermin indoors.
Natalie Bungay, BPCA technical manager, said: “It’s common to see an increase in rat infestations during the winter period, as rats and mice are on the hunt for warm, dry shelter with access to a food source. Disruption to bin collections over the festive period can also be a factor, as overflowing wheelie bins and black bags full of rubbish are basically a buffet for pests.”
Less frequent refuse collections can lead to foxes ripping overflowing bins apart, releasing the contents. This in turn encourages rats to come out of sewers to eat. Meanwhile, flooding, such as that recently caused by Storm Henk, has driven the pests from their underground nests and into buildings as they look for dry places to live.
Delayed bin collections and wet weather and being blamed for the infestations (Getty Images/iStockphoto)London-based pest controller Paul Bates, of Cleankill, told The Mirror that since the pandemic, his call-outs for rat infestations have been steadily increasing. He said: “2022 was 6% up on 2021 and last year was 3% up on that. Since December I have 235 calls for rats, which is a lot compared to normal. Since the coronavirus pandemic, the problem has been getting worse.
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“There’s a few reasons for this in my opinion, from the reductions in waste collection and poor drainage and sewer maintenance to urban foxes learning to flip open food waste bins and leaving vegetables all over the pavement which is essentially creating a restaurant for rats.
“Many local councils have also started re-wilding grass verges, but this creates habitats for them. Recently I was driving round a roundabout and saw several rats running through the grass. Rats are a major problem as they pose a big health hazard and they breed rapidly, so they need to be dealt with by a professional as soon as they are suspected.”
Female rats can have a litter of around six pups, with a gestation period of 21 days. They can also become pregnant again within 48 hours of giving birth. In recent weeks, they have been spotted all around the UK. In Swindon, spooked locals posted videos and images on social media of their overflowing bins and expressed their worries that the rubbish would attract vermin.
Some claimed they saw rats picking through the waste and tearing bin bags open on their ring doorbells. Meanwhile last month residents of a street in Jarrow, South Tyneside, said they had been left "terrified" following an influx of the vermin in the area.
One resident, Ged Needham, told how he had taken control of the situation by setting traps to catch them and said he had caught almost 50 in the space of a few months. He said: “The rats are huge and taking over the street. I know you’ll never get rid of rats but the amount I’ve caught in such a short space of time is a health hazard.”
Ashley Brodie, a 35-year-old living in Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear, told The Mirror she recently spotted a rat in her house while she was working from home. She said: “We live near an allotment so rats and mice show up every now and then, particularly in the winter when they are looking for somewhere warm.
“There was old poison down from a previous time and it had eaten this so was slowly dying. Seeing it, I mostly felt disgusted. I didn’t want to eat anything made in our kitchen until we disinfected everything. This one was a younger rat, I’d say it was about 8 inches including the tail. We had one last year that died under the floor that was huge, like a small cat. That one was really horrible.”
There have been some stories about rats growing in size, with some pest controllers claiming they have caught rodents as large as 2 feet long. And another reason for increased call-outs for rat infestations is due to the fact they have become resistant to some poisons.
Paul Blackhurst, of Rentokil, said: “Due to genetic mutations, certain urban areas across the country have seen an emergence of what have been referred to in some circles as super rats, a term I don’t love as it sounds alarmist. However, it is the case that in some areas these pests have become more resistant to a number of commonly used rodenticides and have passed this resistance on to their young.
“Where an abundance of food is present, these resistant populations have increased rapidly. Therefore, it’s crucial for pest controllers to embrace innovative strategies, to effectively control infestations and to reduce the risk of further resistance occurring.”
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Pest controllers including Mr Bates say they have sometimes gone back to using old-fashioned rat traps rather than poison to ensnare the rodents. If you fear you have a rat infestation, it is essential that you call a professional pest controller as soon as possible.
Rats communicate and mark their territory by urinating everywhere they go, which can pose health risks to humans.
They carry several diseases that can spread to us through their urine or body coming into food preparation areas - these include Weil’s disease, salmonella and listeria.
Rats can also cause property damage with their powerful teeth. Flooding from gnawed pipes and electrical fires from chewed wires may be associated with rat infestations. Ms Bungay added: “Rats are hard-wired to survive. They are adaptable, highly mobile and breed rapidly. As a result, rat control can be an uphill task for the untrained individual.”
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