Sheffield is named as one of the most rat infested cities in the UK

A pest control firm has revealed that it has received 155 call outs in Sheffield in October alone – and lockdown is providing the perfect environment for rodents to thrive.

The city was ranked seventh of ten UK cities, with Birmingham topping the list.

“They say you are only ever 6ft away from a rat - and in some cities this is quite possibly true”, said Jenny Rathbone from UK Pest Control company Pest.co.uk

The survey of 3,400 callouts in October across the UK by the firm reveals the cities where you are most likely to spot a rat.

Lockdown has created an ideal habit for the rat - with careless waste habits, vacant shops, and quiet streets – leading to a breeding frenzy across the UK.

“Rats can breed like mad, so we get localised infestations, where a breeding pair can create six litters of 6-12 pups a year, creating more breeding pairs and so on - hence why you need to get these problems under control fast”, explains Rathbone.

The cities with the most rat infestation callouts in October were:

Birmingham – 353

Newcastle - 305

Leeds - 266

Liverpool - 251

City of London - 190

Manchester - 187

Sheffield - 155

Cardiff - 139

Bristol - 131

Edinburgh - 120

“Rats are loving life at the moment, they are being left to breed in vacant shops with abandoned bins – the technicians out on the road have seen nothing like this before”, she added.

Rats do not need much to get by – mainly food and shelter. The damage they can cause to buildings when left unchecked can be severe and in the worst cases can lead to fire and flood.

The worry is that with a cold winter and more lockdowns that we will be creating a “perfect storm” of rodent infestations across the UK

“It’s really important not to leave food scraps around, even compost bins have been known to attract rats in large numbers, a tidy and clean environment helps reduce these problems massively – however if you love rats, head to Birmingham”, she concluded.