Huge 22-inch rat found in home
The rodent was discovered in a property in the Normanby area of Redcar and Cleveland by a pest controller.
Conservative councillors have blamed the Labour-run council for the supersize pest, as they no longer handle domestic rat infestations and expect residents to foot the bill themselves.
It comes as Birmingham has been plagued by rats because of growing mountains of uncollected waste amid a months-long bin strike.
The crisis reached the point where officials in England's second city introduced a new 'rat tax' for locals if they call out council pest controllers.
Glasgow was also hit with a rat crisis in 2023 when giant rats the size of 'small dogs' turned a street in the city into a no-go zone for refuse workers.
The biggest rat on record to have been caught in Britain was by a Bournemouth rat catcher in 2018. It measured 21 inches from snout to tail.
It is understood that the huge rat in Normanby was nesting in the property at the time.
Cllr Taylor, who was sent the image by a local constituent, claimed that the rat 'was almost the size of a small cat'.
'The rats are getting more brazen everywhere now. It seems they have settled into the neighbourhood,' he told The Telegraph.
'I have dealt with rats in the past; it's certainly the biggest I've seen. It's a big concern that it was found in someone's home.'
Cllr David Taylor has now urged the Labour-run council to take urgent action to tackle the problem and called for a full vermin study to be carried out across the borough, as well as joint action involving businesses, landlords and social housing providers.
He warned: 'The longer this is ignored, the worse it will get. It is a growing problem.'
It is estimated that there could be around 250 million rats in the UK, and they can carry illnesses which can be passed to humans, including Weil's disease, which has flu-like symptoms initially but can lead to jaundice and kidney failure.
A Redcar and Cleveland council spokesman said: 'The council has a dedicated pest control officer who manages pest issues on council-owned land.
'While we no longer provide a wider pest control service, we do offer advice to residents where possible.
'The council continues to work with Beyond Housing, Northumbrian Water and other partners to address complex issues and explore potential solutions.
'There is also helpful guidance and preventative measures on our website to support people in dealing with pests.'
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