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An invasion of 150 million giant rats could soon hit British streets in search of BBQ leftovers scattered both at home and outside.
The brown rat population in the UK rocketed in 2020 thanks to people choosing outdoor eating thanks to coronavirus restrictions.
Bosses at Cleankill Pest Control warned female rats are able to have up to six broods a year, with each brood having the potential to brood as many as twelve ratlings.
One council is fighting back against the surge, with Basildon Council in Essex claiming it plans to spend £70,000 to exterminate an estimated 400,000 rodents swarming the town.
(Image: Getty Images)
Kevin Blake, an independent councillor, said he goes to local park Northlands and sees “rats swimming among the birds all the time.”
He even claimed he saw a dog chasing one, adding that they’re so “visible” to the naked eye every day.
Mr Blake, who pushed for the exterminator, said: “A dog was chasing one the other day, you see rats swimming among the birds all the time.
“The pest control officer won’t be going around to people’s homes to deal with infestations, it will be purely for parks. We know that’s where the problem – they’re looking for food.”
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The exterminator may be sticking to public areas but Peter Higgs, the managing director of a pest control firm, said his company has seen a 50% in residential call-outs.
Mr Higgs said rodents are “coming into homes” because rats aren’t able to snack on “the waste that was produced by people eating food out, and from establishments.”
He added that bin collections aren’t “as frequent,” which means the animals are able to get their little hands on leftovers.
(Image: Getty Images)
Mr Higgs said: “They are coming into homes – that’s exactly what’s happening. All of the waste that was produced by people eating food out, and from establishments doing the cooking – that’s gone.
“I think some bin collections aren’t quite as frequent at the moment too. They are getting into rubbish. When they are hungry they will eat each other. They will use a hierarchy in cities – the big rats will eat the smaller ones.
“They will come in using the drainage system – they eat faeces.”
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