Are more rats coming out to play?

Rats - some people love them, lots of people hate them and a brave few even keep them as pets!

But are we seeing more of the rodents in our homes?

Rentokil, which is one of the UK's biggest pest control companies, has reported a significant increase in the number of calls from people looking to get rid of rats which have scurried their way into their houses.

The company said it saw a 22% rise in the number of people contacting them about the pesky problem in the last month. This was the highest number it's has seen in six years.

Another pest control company Cleankill also reported a rise in the number of rat-related calls in the last few months.

It says it saw an 18.2% increase in people contacting them between July and October this year compared to 2019.

Lots of rat are on the hunt for food during the colder months

However, the increase in rat complaints might not be down to a rise in their numbers.

Lockdown saw lots of businesses close their doors to the public for an extended period of time which Natalie Bungay from the British Pest Control Association says may have driven rats out of city centres and closer to people's homes as they search for food.

"Rats are commensal rodents, which means they thrive from the things humans do," says technical and compliance officer Natalie.

"In March, when humans almost disappeared from the streets and businesses closed, the rats in areas like big cities were left scratching their heads as to where all their food had gone. Without us discarding waste in bins (and on the floor) and businesses not storing waste in their yards, the rats needed to improvise. This meant they had to search further for their food."

This has also led to the rodents being seen in places they wouldn't usually be. "They're the same rats, just being spotted in a different location, said James Read from Pest Control London.

The recent change in season has brought about cooler temperatures which has impacted where rats are found. Places like people's backyards where there a build up of materials like garden waste and old fencing panels create an ideal living environment for rats as they can be sheltered from the wind and rain and protected from predatory animals.

"As the temperature outside starts to drop, rats will start moving closer to properties for warmth," said Paul Bates, who is the managing director at Cleankill.

"Our figures for call outs to domestic properties always increases as the winter approaches."