Overview

• Pest firms urge residents to band together with neighbours to inspect shared areas for rat activity and to call professional exterminators when infestations are suspected.
• The British Pest Control Association reports a 115% increase in people seeking advice on rat control over the past three months.
• New guidance advises night-time checks with a torch to trace rat movements and identify burrows for follow-up in daylight.
• Prevention steps include putting bins out close to collection time, using hard plastic or metal cans with tight lids, avoiding outdoor food sources, and sealing gaps with caulk, metal door sweeps, flashing and vent screens.
• Experts say rats are largely nocturnal and daytime sightings can signal disturbance or hunger, while rising call-outs are linked to waste practices, drainage problems and post-pandemic shifts.