Councils dealing with 621 rodent infestations every day
It's estimated there are 150 million rats in the UK
There's been a big increase in the number of residential rodent infestations in the UK.
New research shows that last year, local authorities dealt with 226,831 rodent infestations – that's the equivalent of 621 per day.
It's a 12% increase in rodent infestations from two years ago in 2020 when councils dealt with 203,227 infestations (550 per day).
Councils having to spend £36 million
The research from Direct Line Home Insurance also showed that each local authority spent an average of £101,044 dealing with residential rodent infestations in 2022, bringing the estimated yearly total to £36 million.
Almost one in five (19%) local authorities provide these pest control services for free, but households that don’t qualify for discounts, typically get charged £80.
Which areas were the worst hit by rats?
Last year, the City & County of Swansea dealt with the most residential rodent infestations, a total of 16,767.
Southwark Council and Birmingham were the second and third busiest councils, dealing with 16,665 and 12,736 infestations respectively.
Eastbourne Council saw the highest increase in rodent infestations in 2022 with 598, up from 208 in 2021 (a massive 188% increase).
The top 10 Local Authorities dealing with the most rodent infestations in 2022:
- City & County of Swansea - 16767 infestations
- Southwark Council - 16,664
- Birmingham City Council - 12,736
- Liverpool City Council - 10,373
- City of Glasgow - 10,323
- Sunderland City Council - 5,968
- Wigan Metropolitan Borough - 4,715
- North Lanarkshire Council - 4,462
- London Borough of Lambeth - 3,645
- Nottingham City Council - 3,573