Rat sightings surge 15 per cent in Britain's hottest summer as pest controllers warn they could move into homes

Manchester leads the UK as the worst rat hotspot, with rodent control call-outs rising 26 per cent year-on-year, ahead of Oxford at 24 per cent and Leeds and Bradford at 23 per cent. Pest control firm Rentokil attributes the problem to dense, round-the-clock urban environments that give rats greater opportunity to flourish. Paul Blackhurst, head of Rentokil's Technical Academy, notes that rat activity typically peaks through the autumn and winter months.

Double-digit increases in rodent call-outs were recorded across five UK cities from 2024 to 2025.

Blackhurst said: 'Rats don't distinguish between a clean building and a dirty one.'

Brown rats require roughly 60ml of water daily, which drives them toward residential properties during dry periods.