Rentokil Pest Control today sounded a warning of a surge in rat sightings. A range of factors including milder winters, stricter legislation around rodenticides and changes to waste management during the pandemic may all have contributed to a 30% increase in rat numbers.
This increase is equivalent to a sea of rats sufficient to cover Wimbledon’s iconic Centre Court more than 500 times, or 455,625 square metres of rats. Rentokil says there has been an increase in the number of rats by at least 30% over the last two years - equating to an additional 33.75 million rats.
When comparing the number of commercial enquiries received from businesses looking to deal with rats, mice and other rodents in January 2021 - during which there was a nationwide lockdown - to January 2022, the company saw an 82% year-on-year increase.
