The idea that you're never more than 6 feet away from a rat in London is an urban myth. However, in spite of the threat of predators to their numbers, as well as the pest control endeavours by people looking to avoid the spread of disease, studies suggest that we're outnumbered by rats across the UK. So how do they continue to thrive and remain prevalent in virtually any environment you can find in the UK?
As the human population in the UK steadily rises, so does the population of the rats that live all around us. Fortunately for them, our lifestyle provides them with all the essentials they need for survival: food, water, shelter and warmth.This is why rat infestations are common in built up areas as our businesses, homes and even our sewage systems produce all 4 of their needs. People tend to stay away from sewers for obvious reasons and predators prefer to hunt outside of built up areas, so sewers are actually a key contributor to the ever-rising rat population.
Thanks to very arable land in many parts and what may seem like never-ending rainfall, about 70% of land in the UK is used for agricultural purposes. This is ideal for rats, as farmers use a substantial amount of feed and water for animals. They'll also feed on most crops that are commonly grown in the UK. Rats are capable of jumping over 3 times their own length and can fit through gaps that are less than 2cm wide, so keeping them out of farm buildings is a real challenge. Despite our best attempts at controlling numbers on agricultural land, if anything our farming activity is a key contributor to the growth in their population.
The earliest fossil of a rat discovered is over 50 million years old; an incredibly long period which has enabled them to evolve and become masters of multiple environments. A worrying suggestion is that in time, rats will evolve to become resistant to the poisons that are currently used to control their population. The science of evolution inherently suggests that this will happen inevitably if their population stays strong, although as rats evolve, so do our techniques to control their numbers.
It's increasingly important that we look to reduce their numbers to reduce the spread of dangerous diseases across the UK. In addition, a dangerously large rat population could really harm our agricultural industry. These are just 2 of many reasons why there is a legal obligation under the 1974 Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949 to keep premises rodent free, or, if rodents pose a threat to health or property, to report infestations to the local authority.
The heavy rainfall that we've seen across England recently will have unfortunately forced more rats to look to our property for warmth and shelter, as the floods will prevent them from living underground. If you're seeing signs of a rat infestation on your property, contact us
