I'm a pest controller – giant rats the size of cats are becoming the norm

Independent

3 days ago

In more than 20 years of pest control, I thought I'd seen it all. But when I saw the images of a 22-inch rat found in a house in Redcar, even I was taken aback. In all my years, I've never seen anything quite like this. But it's not just a one-off – the rats are getting bigger, bolder and harder to deal with.
What used to be a couple of callouts a month for rats inside homes has now surged to eight to 10 a week. The vast majority of these infestations trace back to our neglected drainage systems. The rodents aren't just passing through – they're coming up from the sewers and moving in. I've had cases where rats have climbed two storeys up the inside of a cast iron drainpipe, only to emerge in someone's toilet bowl.
Rats are brilliant climbers. They're highly adaptable, intelligent, agile and opportunistic. And they're getting larger – partly due to genetics (we share 98 per cent of the same genetic make-up as rodents, believe it or not), some because they gorge on the high-fat takeaway waste we throw around so carelessly. I once dealt with a colony I estimated at over 300 rats. The largest rat I've ever personally caught was 20 inches long – but now we're seeing 22 inches, and who knows what's next?
The UK has created a perfect storm for rats: poor waste management, exploding takeaway culture, weak sewer infrastructure and water companies failing to maintain ageing systems. Add to that a society that's seemingly forgotten the basics of hygiene and waste disposal, and the result is a rodent crisis on a scale I've never seen before.
People might not realise it, but we're far worse at handling our waste than we used to be. I get called out more and more to HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) and council estates where bags of rubbish are simply tossed outside, or left to rot. You cannot expect to keep rats out when you're essentially laying out a buffet for them.
I've seen some truly horrifying cases. In one north London property, a woman reported a dead rat in her lounge. When I arrived, there were holes in the floor, droppings everywhere and two live rats scurrying across the kitchen worktop. There were three bin bags full of waste in the kitchen, and rats bolted from them as I moved them. Under the stairs, there was more rat droppings and chewed wiring. The tenant suspected rodent damage had cut her electrics. I believe it. The property could have been condemned on the spot.
And what's worse is how ill-equipped we are to fight the problem. We're restricted in how we can use rodenticides. Because of overuse and genetic evolution, many rats are now resistant. So pest controllers like me must follow strict orders – identifying food sources, shelters and access routes before we even think about poison. Rodenticides are a last resort, and even then only allowed for a limited time and in specific circumstances.
The real issue is that we're not dealing with the root causes. Water companies need to take responsibility for defective drainage systems – rats can't infest homes in such numbers without a breach somewhere. Councils, too, are struggling. Many no longer run their own pest control departments. That means private operators are stretched thin, and the public is left footing the bill.
And the public needs to wake up. Stop throwing waste from car windows and other places. Clean up after your barbecues. Recycle properly – a greasy pizza box isn't recyclable, and it attracts rats.
I give talks in local communities to try to raise awareness. I do it all for free, because education is the only long-term answer. You'd be amazed at how many people think it's fine to cater for a rat. One household I went into regularly had a rat coming in, and they used to feed it – 'it's one of God's creatures', they say. It's a bit like Michael Jackson's Ben, and I totally get that.
We can fix this – but not if we carry on as we are. When we build new homes, we need to think harder about how waste will be managed. When people see rats, they need to ask: why is it here? What food source is it finding? And more importantly, what can I do to stop it?
I'll be 70 next year. I've seen a lot in this job. But never have I seen rats this big, in these numbers, in places so deeply entwined with our lives. Unless something changes – and soon – we're going to see much, much worse.