Tag: rats

Ratflation: Councils tackled 618 rodent infestations a day in 2022

  • Local authorities dealt with 225,430 residential rodent infestations in 2022 – equivalent to 618 per day
  • On average, each council spent more than £100,000 on pest control visits to homes
  • Swansea, Southwark and Birmingham councils tackled the most infestations while Eastbourne Council saw the biggest annual increase (188 per cent)
  • London faced more than 40,000 infestations in 2022 – almost one in five of all infestations

Local authorities dealt with 225,430 rodent infestations in 2022, equivalent to 618 per day, according to new research from Direct Line Home Insurance1. There has been a significant rise in residential rodent infestations in the last two years, increasing 12 per cent from 201,871 infestations (552 per day) in 2020.

The research found that each local authority spent an average of £101,044 dealing with residential rodent infestations. In total, local authorities could be spending an estimated £36 million tackling rodent infestations each year2. Almost one in five (19 per cent) local authorities provide pest control services to residents for free. For those households that don’t qualify for discounts, councils typically charged £80 for pest control related services.

Rodents can cause significant structural damage to homes by gnawing under floorboards, within stud walls and drywall linings, or by making holes in loft insulation which can cause condensation and rot in the joists.

If mice and rats chew through plastic pipes it can also lead to damp, or flooding whilst chewing through electrical cables could cause significant fire risks. Some rodents also carry diseases such as Salmonella and Listeria, which can easily spread to humans, normally through rodent urine, droppings, or by coming into contact with food preparation areas.

Table one: Local Authorities dealing with the most infestations

RankLocal Authorities20212022y/o/y change
 1City & County of Swansea15,51616,7678 per cent
 2Southwark Council8,76116,66490 per cent
 3Birmingham City Council14,464       12,736-12 per cent
 4Liverpool City Council12,03210,373-14 per cent
 5City of Glasgow7,89410,32331 per cent
 6Sunderland City Council3,2325,96885 per cent
 7Wigan Metropolitan Borough5,3824,715-12 per cent
 8North Lanarkshire Council3,469 4,46229 per cent
 9London Borough of Lambeth3,2463,64512 per cent
10Nottingham City Council4,115         3,573-13 per cent

Source: Direct Line Home Insurance 2023

The City & County of Swansea dealt with the most residential rodent infestations in 2022, a total of 16,767. Southwark Council and Birmingham were the second and third busiest councils last year, dealing with 16,665 and 12,736 infestations respectively.

Eastbourne Council saw the highest increase in rodent infestations in 2022 with 598, up from 208 in 2021 (a significant 188 per cent increase). London Borough Councils dealt with 40,768 infestations in 2022 – 18 per cent of the total for the UK.

One estimate suggests there are now 150 million rats in the UK3. Some ‘super rats’ are now resistant to traditional pest control methods and can grow to be as big as a cat.

Dan Simson, Head of Direct Line Home Insurance, said: “Mice and rats pose a real risk to the home and people’s health. They take advantage of issues like broken pipes, slipped roof tiles or holes in skirting to gain access to a property, often causing serious damage to the structural integrity of a building or belongings.

“We recommend that anyone with an infestation contacts either their local authority or an extermination service to have it taken care of professionally.” 

Ian Andrew, Chief Executive at the British Pest Control Association, commented: “Rodents are a serious public health pest and they have rapid breeding cycles, which means infestations require swift action as they can escalate quickly.

“Unfortunately, being unable to afford pest control increases the likelihood of people either ignoring infestations or attempting DIY pest control methods, which can make the issue worse and endanger other people or non-target species.

“A pest professional such as a BPCA member will have the technical knowledge and experience required to deal with an infestation quickly and safely, as well as having access to products not available to the public.

“Pest management is vital for maintaining the safety, health and wellbeing of people, so it would be great to see something in the UK like the proactive approach New York City are taking, with the appointment of a ‘rat tsar’.”

To help homeowners prevent pest invasions, Direct Line Home Insurance has provided the following five tips:

  • Keep refuse bins sealed: Avoid attracting rodents to your property in the first place by keeping all rubbish bins containing food waste properly sealed, clearing away garden waste and by using rodent safe bird feeders.
  • Keep surfaces clean: Rodents are drawn to food debris so wiping down surfaces regularly, clearing up food spillages and throwing away uneaten food will help to prevent unwanted visitors.
  • Fill cracks and crevasses: Many rodents are crafty at finding entry routes into the home. Prevent them from getting in by sealing gaps around doors and windows. Also block holes above or under the sink as many pests will use this area to gain access to water.
  • Seal food: Store food in safe and enclosed containers to prevent rodents from being tempted to visit your home.
  • Avoid clutter: Rodents love hiding in dark areas so keep the home clutter-free to remove opportunities for them to set up a home in your house.

Ratty Mondays: Why bin men dread the first day of the working week

Do you hate going to work on a Monday? Spare a thought for refuse collectors who dread Monday mornings as their rounds bring them in direct contact with Britain’s surging rat population.

That’s because they’re coming up against overfilled commercial and domestic bins that rats have had a chance to ransack for food, says a national waste and recycling company.

And with the British rat population increasing by 25% over the Covid pandemic, there’s some truth in the old urban myth that you’re never more than six feet away from a rat, says waste collection company BusinessWaste.co.uk 

BusinessWaste.co.uk spokesperson Mark Hall said: “Our operators come up against rats on a daily basis,” “but Mondays are especially bad and our teams are genuinely worried about getting bitten.”

What’s the problem?

Binmen (and women) have struggled with vermin since time immemorial, but the Covid pandemic and milder winters have allowed an explosion in the rat population. 

Estimates put the number of rats in the UK at around 150 million, and they’re attracted to wherever humans leave them a steady supply of food. And that means bins. 

And, according to refuse collectors, the worst day of the week is always a Monday, because the hungry rodents have had the chance to settle down relatively undisturbed over the weekend in overfilled bins.

“When we go to empty a bin on a Monday, there’s a stream of rats running to safety,” Mark Taylor 44 refuse collector from Addingham told us. 

“It’s really bad if it’s a food store or a restaurant, and they haven’t secured the lid. We’re clubbing the bins with a big stick, then giving them a couple of minutes to run away. It’s terrifying.”

We’ve seen videos of rats fleeing commercial bins as if it’s a sinking ship, and it’s not a pleasant experience for anybody involved.

There’s also the chance of a bin man getting bitten.

“Once disturbed, the vermin are in a state of panic and run in all directions,” says Waste collection company Divert.co.uk’s Operations Director Adam Bailey, “Our teams now go into action with trousers tucked into boots and sleeve cuffs done up tight. But that’s still no guarantee.”

Another veteran operator tells BusinessWaste.co.uk that the problem is worse than ever. “We’re seeing more rats and other vermin than ever before, hundreds of them. And they’re bolder, too.”

Ratty Monday to Fear-filled Furry Fridays – there’s no escape for Britain’s bin men.

Is there a solution?

While it may be difficult to put an end to Ratty Mondays and Terrifying Tuesdays (if Ratty Monday is a Bank Holiday*), Business Waste’s Mark Hall says that there are plenty of things that people can do to deter vermin.

“The number one thing owners can do is secure the lids on their bins,” he says, “And the number two thing is not to overfill them”.

Bin operators approach open and overflowing bins with a sense of dread, knowing that it’s inevitable that there’ll be a fury explosion of angry and frightened rats the moment they move the bin.

For most domestic bins, it’s not really a problem. But for commercial bin owners, the sheer volume of food waste means that bin management is essential to deter vermin. 

“That means people who run restaurants, food shops, pubs – anywhere that produces tasty, tasty food waste – needs to lock down their bins every time they use them,” says Hall.

It’s a basic safety measure for which there should be no exceptions, and something local authorities should clamp down on with local byelaws, he says. 

“They say that if you’re in a big city, you’re never more than six feet away from a rat,” says Mark Hall of BusinessWaste.co.uk 

“While that’s been an urban myth for years, it’s coming more and more of a reality, and it’s a problem of our own making.”

*Other days of the week are available, but they’re ratty too!

Fruit flies, fleas and bedbugs: the top three pests we’re searching the internet to remove

  • Fruit flies top the list of Britain’s most troublesome pests as new research reveals the top infestations we’re trying to get rid of
  • Fleas are in second and bedbugs are third in skin crawling analysis of Google search data

A new study has found that the UK’s most Googled pest problem is fruit flies. The tiny fly tops the list for the most searched pest at the end of the phrase ‘how to get rid of … ‘

The research by experts 24/7 Pest Control found that other popular – or rather unpopular – searches are fleas in second, bed bugs in third and rats in fourth.

Fifth place belongs to mice, while perennial picnic ruiner the wasp is in fifth. Ants take seventh place, flies are in eighth, silverfish are ninth and moles are the tenth most searched pest.

Although arachnophobia is a common fear, searches for “how to get rid of spiders” rank outside the top ten in 11th position.

Searches for how to eradicate fruit flies total more than 19,000 on average each month. “How to get rid of fleas” is searched an average of just over 16,000 times each month, while advice on bed bugs receives a similar number.

The study also analysed search trends, finding that searches for how to get rid of fruit flies spike each year in August, and in 2020 the phrase received its highest ever number of searches.

Fruit flies are especially common toward the end of summer because they are attracted to ripened or fermenting fruits and vegetables, making foods like bananas, potatoes and onions, which are often unrefrigerated, a key source of contamination.

Fleas provoke a similar late-summer spike with searches at their highest in August and September.

“How to get rid of bed bugs” doesn’t follow such a clear pattern, however April 2020, just as the UK’s first national lockdown had begun, saw the highest ever number of searches for the phrase.

Commenting on the results, a spokesperson for 24/7 Pest Control said: “These results show that a pest doesn’t need to be big to cause problems. Fleas and bedbugs can be particularly difficult to get rid of, so the infestation can eat away at you in more ways than one.

“Although people might feel embarrassed about their pest problems, the volume of monthly searches shows that they’re very common across the country.”

Globally the biggest pest problem that people are hoping to eradicate is flies, followed by rats, with mice in third, while ants are in fourth and bed bugs are fifth.

The research was carried out by 24/7 Pest Control, which aims to provide effective pest control services and make them as easily available as possible.

The UK’s most Googled pest problems, ranked by monthly average number of searches

  1. fruit flies – 19,100
  2. fleas – 16,300
  3. bed bugs – 16,100
  4. rats – 13,000
  5. mice – 12,200
  6. wasps – 11,000
  7. ants – 10,300
  8. flies – 8,100
  9. silverfish – 6,400
  10. moles – 6,000

www.247pestcontrol.co.uk

Council cuts could send rat populations spiralling out of control

A jump of 25% in the rat population during 2020 has increased the pest control workload in most areas of the UK, as rats migrate from city centre commercial areas to inner city residential – increasing reports from worried residents about rat sightings.

Reports of rats being seen in open public areas during lockdown are common, with Council pest control departments being sent an increasing number of reports of rats in inner city residential areas as rats migrate in the search for food and shelter.

“Lockdown is presenting a serious challenge for pest controllers, none more so than where financial cuts and social distancing is hampering Local Authority departments in their ability to tackle rat populations. This is not only a funding issue – the population of rats is growing, and the ability to control them with traditional means is decreasing as 74% of UK rats have been shown to carry immunity to popular poisons”, explains Jenny Rathbone of Pest Controller Pest.co.uk

Areas such as Bridgend where Councillor Nicole Burnett, cabinet member for social services and early help reported: “There does seem to be an increase in the rat population in residential areas, particularly residential areas close to town centres.” They have seen an increase of 47% in the reports of rat problems since 2016.

Cardiff is suffering a similar problem, Gill Lewis from Caerphilly County Borough Council stated: “there has been a significant increase in pest control requests since March 2020 because “more people are at home and seeing more pest activity than they usually would”.

“The big problem we face is that residents of more deprived inner-city areas tend to use Local Authority services to treat rodent problems, and it’s these areas rats are moving to during lockdown – any cuts to services will end up impacting the poorest the hardest – and we all know cuts are coming”, Rathbone adds.

UK Rat Population grew 25% last year (Source Pest.co.uk)

  • 2019 – 120m
  • 2020 – 150m

The issues currently affecting the control of the rat population in the UK are:

  1. The first lockdown in March 2020 allowed rats to get a foothold, and breed well. The population increased 25% in 2020 from 120 million to 150 million.
  2. Traditional pest control methods are becoming ineffective as the 2019-20 Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use survey of rats showed that 74% of rats in the UK carried a resistance gene to popular rodenticides, and even more worrying in some locations in the UK, 20% have two different genes, making them super resistant (Source)
  3. Pressure on Local Authority Pest Control departments to provide more services, with ever increasing strain on finances.

Pest.co.uk is advising anyone living in inner-city urban areas to take proactive measures before problems start, these include:

  • Block up holes – Fill any gaps in brickwork, shed doors and any holes on external walls of your home including cellars and attics
  • Clear cupboards – Empty unused cupboards of bags, clothes, rags and keep them clean
  • Secure all food sources – Make sure food is not left out, tidy away any open food sources and keep worktops and floors clean of crumbs
  • Prepare traps – by leaving out rat traps you can pre-empt any future infestation, however it is better to bait with official rat poison than leaving food scraps out

“2021 could be interesting. The longer the lockdown continues, the higher the risk that rats get a real foothold that will be hard to control come summer”, concludes Jenny Rathbone of Pest Controller Pest.co.uk

Top 10 Most Rat-Infested Cities in the UK Revealed

Lockdown has created an ideal habit for the rat – with careless waste habits, vacant shops, and quiet streets – leading to a breeding frenzy in some of our favourite UK Cities.

“They say you are only ever 6ft away from a rat – and in some cities this is quite possibly true!”, says Jenny Rathbone from UK Pest Control company Pest.co.uk

The survey of 3,400 callouts in October across the UK by Pest.co.uk reveals the cities where you are most likely to spot a rat.

Birmingham tops the list of “Rattiest” places in the UK with more rat infestations than anywhere else, and this is common – where you see one rat, you usually see more.

“Rats can breed like mad, so we get localised infestations, where a breeding pair can create six litters of 6-12 pups a year, creating more breeding pairs and so on – hence why you need to get these problems under control fast”, explains Rathbone.

The cities with the most rat infestation callouts in October were:

  1. Birmingham – 353
  2. Newcastle – 305
  3. Leeds – 266
  4. Liverpool – 251
  5. City of London – 190
  6. Manchester – 187
  7. Sheffield – 155
  8. Cardiff – 139
  9. Bristol – 131
  10. Edinburgh – 120

“Rats are loving life at the moment, they are being left to breed in vacant shops with abandoned bins – the technicians out on the road have seen nothing like this before”, explains Jenny Rathbone from UK Pest Control company Pest.co.uk

Rats do not need much to get by – mainly food and shelter. The damage they can cause to buildings when left unchecked can be severe and in the worst cases can lead to fire and flood.

The worry is that with a cold winter and more lockdowns that we will be creating a “perfect storm” of rodent infestations across the UK

Jenny concluded: “It’s really important not to leave food scraps around, even compost bins have been known to attract rats in large numbers, a tidy and clean environment helps reduce these problems massively – however if you love rats, head to Birmingham!”