Residents have been left disgusted after an enormous 22-inch rat was found in a home in Redcar and Cleveland.
Hundreds expressed their shock and disgust after a picture of the supersized rodent was posted on social media by local politicians.
Conservative Party councillors David Taylor and Stephen Martin criticised the Labour-run council for its inaction and called for a full vermin study to be carried out across the borough.
The rat, which has a potentially record-breaking size in UK terms, was discovered recently in a property in the Normanby area by a pest controller who had been called to investigate.
It is unknown how it accessed the property, which it is believed to have been nesting in, but rats had been reported in back alleys nearby.
In their social media post, Mr Taylor described public bins in parts of the Eston and Whale Hill area as ‘overflowing’, with shops, particularly takeaways, dumping items in them and providing ‘easy food’ for rodents.
He wrote: ‘It’s almost the size of a small cat. And it’s not a one-off.
‘The longer this is ignored, the worse it will get. We need action — not just advice.’
Source: Rentokill
In response to their post, dozens of residents shared their concerns about the growing problem in the area.
Rats are known to grow to a large size when there is an ongoing abundant supply of food.
The Eston ward councillors pointed out that Redcar & Cleveland Council no longer handle domestic rat infestations, instead expecting residents to foot the bill themselves.
But the councillors argue that due to public land being left overgrown and overflowing bins, the problem has been made worse.
As well as a full vermin study, they are calling for ‘proper funding’ to tackle infestations and joint action with businesses and landlords – so tackling vermin is built into tenancies and responsibilities.
As with many other cash-strapped local authorities, the council no longer offers pest control to private households, but retains a full-time officer to tackle issues on council land.
Not all social housing providers automatically offer such a service, or if they do, it is only on a discretionary basis, according to the Yorkshire Post.
A spokeswoman for the council 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.’
It is estimated that there could be around 250 million rats in the UK.
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.
Less frequent bin collections can see foxes tearing overflowing bins apart and spilling the contents, which encourages rats to come from the sewers to feed on the waste.
Bin collections are already under threat as some councils look to cut costs, as the Local Government Association last year estimated that councils in England could face a £4 billion funding gap over the next two years.
Rats are a major problem as they pose a big health hazard and they breed rapidly, so they need to be dealt with by a professional as soon as they are suspected.
In April, the British Army was called in to rodent-ridden Birmingham after pest control experts labelled the city ‘apocalyptic’ due to the bin strikes taking place at the time.
A pest control expert had been forced to patrol the streets of Birmingham armed with an air rifle as a swelling rat army, some said to be ‘the size of cats’, plagued the UK’s second city’s streets.
Droves of monstrously sized rodents had been gorging on the growing pile of leftover refuse as almost 400 bin workers have intermittently been on strike in Labour-run Birmingham since January.
An increase in fly-tipping and HS2 building work helped spark the invasion, with residents finding rodents tucked behind wheelie bins and nestling under car bonnets.
It came after Birmingham City Council declared itself effectively bankrupt last year, partly because of cases brought by two trade unions.
Meanwhile earlier this year in Southampton, the Labour-run Hampshire city faced its worst rodent epidemic in 30 years.
Rats were reportedly running riot in people’s kitchens and bedrooms, leaving pest controllers struggling to get a grip of the infestation.
In one building, an elderly woman was forced to flea after being left so worried giant rats would attack and devour her beloved puppy.
Another furious pensioner living in the block of flats was so appalled at the state of it, he refused to pay his council tax until the left-wing authority sorted it out.
London has usually been seen as the rat capital of the UK, with Dagenham in the east of the city being dubbed ‘Ratland’ in March due to constant fly tippiong.
But locals claimed their Labour council has done nothing about it.
Shocking photos earlier this year showed rodents slithering through the cracks in bins and scuttling along the roads in Tottenham, a busy district in the north of the city.
In 2023, SNP-run Glasgow was hit with a rat crisis as giant rats the size of ‘small dogs’ turned a street in the city into a no-go zone for refuse workers.
Council staff were told it is was safe to empty bins behind Earl Street, in the Scotstoun area of Glasgow.
It came a month after city council leader Susan Aitken denied the number of rats was growing – claiming they were simply becoming more visible.
Chris Mitchell, GMB convenor for Glasgow’s cleansing workers, said some staff needed hospital treatment after being bitten or scratched by rats in other areas of the city. Vermin infestations in Glasgow rose by 31 per cent from 2021 to 2022, with 10,323 reports.
What are the dangers of rats?
Rats are dirty and carry harmful diseases. They can also be expensive to get rid of, costing hundreds of pounds to resolve if an infestation occurs.
They can damage property, chew electrical wires, and contaminate food and water.
How quickly do rats multiply?
A female rat can carry up to 13 babies in a litter and can have anywhere from three to 12 litters per year, a rat expert told The Sun.
This means one female rat could potentially breed as many as 156 new rats in one year. These rats will reach sexual maturity after nine weeks.
How can you prevent rats from raiding your home?