Huge rats “the size of cats” could be sneaking their way up your water pipes and into your home, a pest control expert has warned.
The rodents are “taking over” according to Ian Heland of Pests Be Gone, who is warning Brits to rat-proof their homes.
The population of rats in the UK is one the rise and is currently estimated to be around 150 million, the highest number ever.
Warning over rats invading UK homes
The rats are capable of treading water for up to three days meaning water pipes make for a warm spot to stay and even reproduce.
Mr Heland told The Daily Star: “I have had more callouts than ever from homeowners who have heard a noise, looked down into their toilet only to find a giant rat.
“No one is safe. Rats are excellent swimmers with bendy bones and can squeeze into the smallest of spaces.
“They can hold their breath for three minutes and tread water for three days, and they are coming up waste pipes.
“They’re cunning and getting bolder and bolder. Basically, if they want to get into your home, they will.”
He added: “People are scared and they should be. There are more rats than ever and they are taking over. I have seen some the size of cats.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel