New data has revealed that Britain is experiencing a significant rat problem, with more than half a million infestations reported in the past two years.
Analysis of Freedom of Information data by Drain Detectives showed there were 518,240 reports to councils of rat infestations across the country between 2023 and 2025, with just under 23% of that figure concentrated in London alone.
The analysis lacks data from previous years for comparison, but it does reveal the extent of the issue and comes among reports of sightings of abnormally large rats, including a 22-inch specimen reportedly captured in Normanby, North Yorkshire, thought to be the biggest spotted in the UK.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Latest Videos From
What's driving the increase?
The rodents thrive in areas where they can easily access food and hide from plain sight. Poor waste management, including fly tipping and food scraps from restaurants and takeaways, is a common reason for increased infestation, while the warmer weather (including milder winters) is allowing rats to thrive in urban areas.
Usually rats range in length from six to 12 inches, but when food and water are easily accessible, they can grow even larger.
Overflows of rubbish left in the streets in Birmingham during the bin strikes have sparked a series of oversized rat sightings due to the free access rats have had to masses of poorly disposed waste.
What danger do they pose?
The primary danger rats pose to people is disease. They can carry a number of diseases harmful and even deadly to humans, including leptospirosis, hantavirus, and salmonella. Contact with the rodent isn't necessary for infection, which is likely spread via a rat's droppings and urine, and by contamination of food around a house or business.
Rats can also cause serious damage to buildings, including the plumbing, through which they are most likely to enter properties, as well as chewing through electrical wiring and insulation.
However, rats are more "vilified" in this respect than other animals, despite the fact mice can carry similar diseases and squirrels "can do much more damage to our homes", said The Spectator.
What can be done to stop infestations?
There is no nationwide government programme to address rat infestations; instead, it is down to local councils to manage pest control services. But many no longer have dedicated departments", which means "private operators are stretched thin" and the "public is left footing the bill", said experienced rat catcher David Parnell in The Independent.
Prevention is the best solution; however, more awareness of how to stop rats multiplying in the first place is key to stopping infestations. Proper disposal of waste in sealed containers, maintaining tidy gardens, and secure storage of food are key for the general public in dealing with root causes.
But the onus also lies with water companies to fix defective drainage systems, which can become easy access points for rats to reach homes in large numbers.
