Last year, nearly a quarter of a million rat infestations at home were dealt with by local authorities.
A total of 225,430 residential rodent infestations were recorded in 2022, the equivalent of 618 per day, according to Direct Line.
The worst affected areas are the city and county of Swansea, followed by Southwark and Birmingham.
Direct Line made a Freedom of Information request to all local authorities in Britain in February this year, with 181 responding with actionable data.
Rat in Mi Kitchen: According to new research, local authorities tackled 225,430 residential rodent infestations by 2022
The change in rat infestations in local authorities in 2022 compared to a year earlier has been revealed
It’s a significant increase from two years ago, up 12 percent from 201,871 infestations – the equivalent of 552 per day – in 2020.
The insurer found that each council spent an average of £101,044 on pest control visits to homes.
It means that local authorities spend a total of an estimated £36 million each year on rodent infestations.
Nearly one in five local authorities – 19 percent – provide free pest control services to residents.
For those households not eligible for discounts, councils typically charged £80 for pest control related services.
The local authorities dealing with the most infestations have been revealed in new research
Rats can cause significant structural damage to homes by gnawing under floorboards, inside stud walls and drywall, or making holes in attic insulation that can cause condensation and rot in the joists.
Mice and rats chewing through plastic pipes can also lead to moisture or flooding, while chewing through electrical cables can create significant fire risks.
Some rodents are also carriers of diseases such as salmonella and listeria, which can easily spread to humans, normally through rodent urine, feces, or through contact with food preparation areas.
Each local authority spent an average of £101,044 in total on pest control visits to homes
Swansea saw the most infestations in 2022, a total of 16,767. Southwark and Birmingham were the second and third busiest boroughs last year, with 16,665 and 12,736 plagues respectively.
Eastbourne saw the highest increase in rodent infestations in 2022 with 598 compared to 208 in 2021 – an increase of 188 per cent.
London councils treated 40,768 infections in 2022, which is 18 percent of the total for Britain.
Ian Andrew, from the British Pest Control Association, said: ‘Rodents are a serious public health nuisance and they have fast reproductive cycles which means infestations need to be dealt with quickly as they can escalate quickly.
“Unfortunately, not being able to afford pest control increases the likelihood that people will ignore infestations or try DIY pest control methods, which can exacerbate the problem and endanger other people or non-target species.”
“A pest controller such as a BPCA member has the technical knowledge and experience necessary to deal with an infestation quickly and safely, and has access to products not available to the public.
Pest control is vital to maintaining people’s safety, health and well-being, so it would be great to see something in the UK like New York City’s proactive approach, with the appointment of a ‘rat’s tail’. ‘
Some so-called ‘super rats’ are now resistant to more traditional pesticides
Direct Line said some so-called “super rats” are now resistant to traditional pest control methods and can grow to the size of a cat.
Dan Simson, of Direct Line Home Insurance, said: ‘Mice and rats pose a real risk to people’s homes and health.
“They exploit things like broken pipes, slipped roof tiles or holes in baseboards to gain access to a property, often causing serious damage to the structural integrity of a building or property.
“We recommend anyone with an infestation to contact the municipality or a destruction service to have it treated professionally.”