Overview

• Practitioners report far larger rodents, saying 19–20 inch rats are now routine and noting a 22 inch specimen found in a Normanby home this month.
• Call-outs have risen sharply, with one veteran pest controller saying his household rat jobs jumped from a few per month to eight to ten per week.
• Experts link the surge to summer heatwaves, abundant takeaway waste, overflowing bins and ageing cast‑iron pipes that let rats enter from sewers.
• Officials and health guidance warn of disease risks including leptospirosis/Weil's disease, salmonellosis and rat‑bite fever, urging residents to seal entry points, secure waste, check drains and keep toilet lids closed.
• Redcar and Cleveland has created a cross‑party pest control taskforce, councillors are pressing for borough‑wide surveys and joint plans with water firms and housing providers, and national data cite over 518,000 reported infestations since 2023.