In more than 20 years of pest control, I thought I\u2019d seen it all. But when I saw the images of a 22-inch rat found<\/a> in a house in Redcar earlier this month, even I was taken aback. In all my years, I\u2019ve never seen anything quite like this. <\/p>\n But it\u2019s not just a one-off \u2013 the rats are getting bigger<\/a>, bolder and harder to deal with. And, thanks to the summer heatwaves<\/a> we\u2019ve just experienced, this winter, especially, will see an influx<\/a> of these rodents, who have been feasting on discarded takeaways and overflowing bins. Also, warmer temperatures accelerate their breeding cycles dramatically, meaning bigger winter infestations.<\/p>\n What used to be a couple of callouts a month for rats inside homes has now surged to eight to 10 a week. The vast majority of these infestations<\/a> trace back to our neglected drainage systems. The rodents aren\u2019t just passing through \u2013 they\u2019re coming up from the sewers and moving in. I\u2019ve had cases where rats have climbed two storeys up the inside of a cast iron drainpipe, only to emerge in someone\u2019s toilet bowl.<\/p>\n Rats are brilliant climbers. They\u2019re highly adaptable, intelligent, agile and opportunistic. And they\u2019re getting larger \u2013 partly due to genetics (we share 98 per cent of the same genetic make-up as rodents, believe it or not), some because they gorge on the high-fat takeaway waste<\/a> we throw around so carelessly. I once dealt with a colony I estimated at over 300 rats. The largest rat I\u2019ve ever personally caught was 20 inches long \u2013 but now we\u2019re seeing 22 inches, and who knows what\u2019s next?<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n A \u2018super-rat the size of a cat\u2019 \u2013 which measured more than half a metre from nose to tail \u2013 was removed from a home in Redcar, North Yorkshire (Facebook)<\/p>\n The UK has created a perfect storm for rats: poor waste management, exploding takeaway culture, weak sewer infrastructure and water companies failing to maintain ageing systems. Add to that a society that\u2019s seemingly forgotten the basics of hygiene<\/a> and waste disposal, and the result is a rodent crisis on a scale I\u2019ve never seen before.<\/p>\n People might not realise it, but we\u2019re far worse at handling our waste than we used to be. I get called out more and more to HMOs (houses in multiple occupation)<\/a> and council estates where bags of rubbish are simply tossed outside<\/a>, or left to rot. You cannot expect to keep rats out when you\u2019re essentially laying out a buffet for them.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve seen some truly horrifying cases. In one north London property, a woman reported a dead rat in her lounge. When I arrived, there were holes in the floor, droppings everywhere and two live rats scurrying across the kitchen worktop. There were three bin bags full of waste in the kitchen, and rats bolted from them as I moved them. Under the stairs, there was more rat droppings and chewed wiring. The tenant suspected rodent damage had cut her electrics. I believe it. The property could have been condemned on the spot.<\/p>\n And what\u2019s worse is how ill-equipped we are to fight the problem. We\u2019re restricted in how we can use rodenticides. Because of overuse and genetic evolution, many rats are now resistant. So pest controllers like me must follow strict orders \u2013 identifying food sources, shelters and access routes before we even think about poison. Rodenticides are a last resort, and even then only allowed for a limited time and in specific circumstances.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Pest controller David Parnell finds call-out for rat infestations are on the increase (David Parnell)<\/p>\n The real issue is that we\u2019re not dealing with the root causes. Water companies need to take responsibility for defective drainage systems \u2013 rats can\u2019t infest homes in such numbers without a breach somewhere. Councils, too, are struggling. Many no longer run their own pest control departments. That means private operators are stretched thin, and the public is left footing the bill.<\/p>\n And the public needs to wake up. Stop throwing waste from car windows<\/a> and other places. Clean up after your barbecues. Recycle properly \u2013 a greasy pizza box isn\u2019t recyclable, and it attracts rats.<\/p>\n I give talks in local communities to try to raise awareness. I do it all for free, because education is the only long-term answer. You\u2019d be amazed at how many people think it\u2019s fine to cater for a rat. One household I went into regularly had a rat coming in, and they used to feed it \u2013 \u201cit\u2019s one of God\u2019s creatures\u201d, they say. It\u2019s a bit like Michael Jackson’s Ben<\/a>, and I totally get that.<\/p>\n We can fix this \u2013 but not if we carry on as we are. When we build new homes, we need to think harder about how waste will be managed. When people see rats, they need to ask: why are they here? What food source are they finding? And more importantly, what can I do to stop them?<\/p>\n I\u2019ll be 70 next year. I\u2019ve seen a lot in this job. But never have I seen rats this big, in these numbers, in places so deeply entwined with our lives. Unless something changes \u2013 and soon \u2013 we\u2019re going to see much, much worse.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1756211651_298_526955935_728583466818617_2369502643511956173_n.jpeg\")
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