BRITS are set to face their worst winter ever for rat invasions as the wet weather drives disease-ridden rodents into the nation’s homes, experts have warned.
The number of rat sightings in homes may double this week, as forecasters predict a deluge of rain, according to Steve Wales.
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Steve, of Bespoke Pest Control, said: “I’ve been working in this industry for 30 years and because of a cocktail of problems combining at the same time, I have never had more calls about rats – and it’s getting worse.”
Nearly half of all call-outs are now about rats invading homes and offices – with some “the size of a small cat or dog” – according to Steve.
He added: “Ten years ago, I received about two calls a week about rats – now it’s more like three rat calls every day.”
In 2022, industry giant Rentokil warned of a 30 per cent surge in the number of rats – equating to an additional 33.75 million rats.
The company now says they have seen an 83 per cent increase in rats in the last three months.
Experts say this is due to a toxic combination of factors.
These include badly maintained drains, cheaply fitted pipes in homes, and particularly wet weather.
Yesterday (22 September), the UK was hit with a huge storm, sparking 17 weather warnings.
Steve said: “All the rain this week will see the drains flood, and that pushes the rats out.
“Rats can swim – but they look for dryer places when water levels rise, like on top of garages and inside walls if they can get in.”
The sight of a twitching rodent isn’t just alarming for many homeowners – it’s also very dangerous.
Rats carry Leptospirosis – or Weil’s disease – as well as salmonella, fleas, worms, bacteria and viruses, all of which can harm humans, as well as pets.
In 2010, Andy Holmes, an Olympic rower who won gold for Britain alongside Sir Steve Redgrave, was killed by Weil’s disease, which is passed through the urine of infected rats and other vermin.
According to Steve, slashed funding for bin collections has also contributed to the problem, with rubbish providing perfect snacks for rats.
He said: “They only need about 40mm of water and 40g of food a day, and humans make it easy for them.
“What with all the fat poured down drains and food around homes, we have given them a perfect place to live in our sewers and drains.”
Pest controllers say some Brits are putting down poison to kill rats themselves – but this is dangerous to wildlife and pets, and if rats are entering a home through a sewer, they will keep coming back.
Many are two foot long and very fat – making themselves look even bigger as a defence mechanism.
Steve added that rats are also breeding faster than ever as they have ideal conditions in Britain, with plenty of food and water.
What are the symptoms of Weil’s disease?
WEIL’S disease – also known as leptospirosis – is an infection rarely seen in the UK, which is spread through the wee of infected animals.
Most commonly, this includes rats, mice, cows, pigs and dogs.
You can get leptospirosis if:
- Soil or freshwater (such as water from a river, canal or lake) that contains infected pee gets in your mouth, eyes or a cut, usually during activities like kayaking, outdoor swimming or fishing
- You touch an infected animal’s blood or flesh, usually from working with animals or animal parts
Most people who get leptospirosis have no symptoms, or mild flu-like symptoms. But some people get seriously ill.
Symptoms of leptospirosis may include:
- High temperature
- Headache
- Body aches and pain
- Tummy ache
- Feeling sick or being sick
- Diarrhoea
- Redness in the white part of your eyes
- Yellowing of the skin (which may be harder to see on black or brown skin) or white part of the eyes
You should see a GP is you think you’ve been exposed to to infected pee, water, or soil and have the above symptoms.
You’ll usually be given antibiotic tablets to treat the infection. Most people recover in a few days or weeks.
It’s important to finish the course of antibiotics, even if you start to feel better.
Take paracetamol or ibuprofen to relieve any aches, pains or a high temperature.
If you have severe symptoms, you may need to be treated in hospital.
Source: NHS
A female rat gives birth to an average of six litters a year, each with as many as 12 rat pups.
As rats reach sexual maturity after around a month, two rats can balloon to as many as 1,250 in just one year.
Research by Rentokil even said a pair of rats could produce nearly half a billion descendants in just three years.
Cost-cutting within local authorities has also been an issue according to Paul Mitcham, rat-catcher at New Enterprise Pest Control Herts Limited.
He said: “When I started in pest control, the local authorities and utility firms used to do a lot of preventative work around rats.
“But they stopped sewer bating drains because of the costs about a decade ago. Local authorities used to do brook bating – that stopped 20 years ago because of the cost.
“A lot of councils don’t have any pest control services at all anymore.
“This certainly could be one of the worst winters for rats in Britain – the wet weather and lack of investment from utility companies and local authorities is really serious.”
Paul, who started his career working for industry giant Rentokil in 1990, added: “I reckon over the almost 35 years since then, rats are up tenfold – and breeding fast.”
The news comes after a woman made the horrifying discovery that a rat had made its way into her toilet, after “something brushed against her”.
How to stop rats in their tracks
The number of rats in homes is set to skyrocket this year – so how can you stop rats in their tracks?
Paul Mitcham, rat-catcher at New Enterprise Pest Control Herts Limited, recommends the following steps:
- Vinegar – but be warned this may get rid of them for a day or so as they will quickly get used to it
- Regularly check the perimeters of your property
- Make sure there’s no pipe entry points or broken air bricks
- Have a quarterly inspection from pest control
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