Have you heard? There’s an epidemic of mega-rats taking over the UK. Alright, that’s a little dramatic, but there has been a disconcerting boom in abnormally large rat sightings of late.
Earlier this week, the discovery of a 22-inch rodent the size of a small cat triggered a wider conversation about the rat problem facing the UK, with experts saying that it’s not a one-off. They warn that rats are becoming larger and increasingly difficult to get rid of. David Parnell, a professional pest controller from Hertfordshire, wrote in the Independent that ‘giant rats the size of cats are becoming the norm’. He added that rats across the UK are getting ‘bigger, bolder and harder to deal with’. This is everything you need to know about Britain’s growing battle with the insidious rodents.
Where have giant rats been spotted in the UK?
The colossal 22-inch creature thought to be the biggest rat in Britain was found in a home in Normanby, north Yorkshire. Local Teeside councillors say that, while none have been quite that big, rats have been spotted ‘more and more’ in the area.
At the end of last year, it was also reported that rat sightings in Glasgow had trebled in the last decade, with locals blaming cuts to street cleaning crews, reductions in bin collections and more fly-tipping. John Slaven, the union’s organiser at Glasgow council, told the Times: ‘It was once unusual to see a rat but most people living and working in the city wouldn’t blink twice now. Seeing a rat is like seeing a pigeon and no Glaswegian will be at all surprised by the explosion in rat sightings. There would be more surprise if the council ordered effective action to curb numbers instead of wringing its hands and saying everywhere’s the same.’
In March 2024, there was also calls for a ‘rat czar’ in London (similar to New York’s ‘director of rodent mitigation’) as sightings of the rodents were increasing.
How big are the rats?
Don’t worry, the majority of rats aren’t going to be as huge as 22-inches. The average rat normally doesn’t grow any bigger than 11 inches.
What is causing the UK’s rat problem?
Rats thrive in warmer climates in places with more waste and less vegetation. Parnell wrote: ‘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.’
Professionals say that the cost-cutting of bin collections has also had an effect, with the Birmingham bin strike in particular creating a ‘banquet’ of food waste for the critters.
What to do if there's a giant rat in your home
Your best bet for getting rid of the rodent is to call a professional pest controller. But if you want to deal with the issue yourself, experts recommend that you pick up some amateur-use rat poisons (rodenticides) and traps from your local hardware store or garden centre.
If you are doing it yourself, don’t expect instant results. The British Pest Control Association say that rats tend to be wary of traps to start with. A spokesperson from the organisation said: ‘Rats are hard-wired to survive. They are adaptable, highly mobile and breed rapidly. As a result, rat control can be an uphill task for the untrained individual.’
The BCPA warns that once you catch a rat, the clean-up afterwards will be an unpleasant task. It said: ‘When poison is consumed by a rat, it is likely that it will die in a cavity or roof space from which a bad smell can emit.
‘If you cannot locate the dead rodent, it may take several weeks for the body to decompose and the smell to dissipate. Leaving these in the open can result in secondary poisoning of non target animals, such as pets or birds scavenging on the carcass.’ Delightful.
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