HOMES in the UK are being invaded by rats as they go in search of food while restaurants are on lockdown due to the coronavirus.
With restaurants right across Britain being forced to close as part of the lockdown measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, rats have been forced to look elsewhere for a tasty meal.
The British Pest Control Association (BPCA) has claimed around half of the professionals it had polled since the introduction of the measures had seen an increase in activity, according to Essex Live.
BPCA technical officer Natalie Bungay said: “Rats in particular may be becoming more visible in areas of population.
“With less footfall across cities and towns there is less associated food waste being left in bins and on the floor.
“As a result, rat populations are likely to move further afield to satisfy their need for a food source and this, in turn, is likely to cause more sightings.
Don't miss the latest news and figures - and essential advice for you and your family.
To receive The Sun’s Coronavirus newsletter in your inbox every tea time, sign up here.
To follow us on Facebook, simply ‘Like’ our Coronavirus page.
Get Britain’s best-selling newspaper delivered to your smartphone or tablet each day – find out more.
“By nature, rats will also try to avoid humans directly and so, with less of us walking the streets, they may be getting a little bolder and possibly be seen in areas they normally wouldn’t.
“In terms of rats in domestic homes, so long as you manage your food waste properly and there are no considerable harbourage opportunities, you shouldn’t experience any unusual problems.
“The risk may be that if you find you are doing more gardening and creating more garden waste, the storage of this in piles around your garden can provide a perfect place for rats to live and breed.”
Pest controllers across the country have said they have experienced similar issues.
PGH Pest Control & Prevention managing director Peter Higgs, based in Cranleigh, Surrey, said his firm has seen a 50 per cent increase in residential call-outs since social distancing measures were introduced.
He 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.
“They transmit diseases. A professional should be called to deal with the problem.
“We don’t want people trying to sort it out themselves and using their own poison and contracting something – they need to stay away.
“It’s really important they get an expert in.”
When the quarantine measures were brought in some people rushed to stockpile food under the belief supermarkets would run short of some items but one body warned against this, saying it would attract rodents to people’s homes.
BRITAIN’s four million NHS staff are on the frontline in the battle against coronavirus.
But while they are helping save lives, who is there to help them?
The Sun has launched an appeal to raise £1MILLION for NHS workers.
The Who Cares Wins Appeal aims to get vital support to staff in their hour of need.
We have teamed up with NHS Charities Together in their urgent Covid-19 Appeal to ensure the money gets to exactly who needs it.
The Sun is donating £50,000 and we would like YOU to help us raise a million pounds, to help THEM.
No matter how little you can spare, please donate today here
The National Pest Technicians Association said rodents could get in and cause problems.
Technical manager John Hope said: “It’s the same as when rubbish piles up on the street due to missed bin collections.
“The more that’s there, the more chance there is of attracting rodents without actually seeing them, because they can get in there unnoticed by time you get to bottom of the pile.
“Stockpiling will have an effect on public health because if you’re stockpiling goods, there’s more food there to attract rodents.”
The issue does not appear to be confined just to the UK and could be happening around the world.
Urban rodentologist Bobby Corrigan believes that cities worldwide are being affected.
He told NBC News: “Those rats that were living by that restaurant, some place nearby, and perhaps for decades having generations of rats that depended on that restaurant food, well, life is no longer working for them, and they only have a couple of choices.
“So these rats are fighting with one another, now the adults are killing the young in the nest and cannibalising the pups.”
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.
