Local authority pest control call-outs up 3% over a year

Local authority pest control services were called out to 291,132 homes across the UK last year, up 3% on the year before and an increase of 9% on 2022, figures show.

Councils responded to an additional 52 rat or mouse-related call-outs per day last year compared with 2022, Freedom of Information (FoI) requests by Direct Line home insurance found.

Bedbug infestations also soared by 35% between 2022 and 2024, while cockroach removal visits increased by 13% over the same period.

East Suffolk Council experienced the largest rise in rat or mouse-related call-outs last year, increasing by 325% on the previous year, followed by Eastleigh Borough Council in Hampshire, which saw a rise of 134%.

The analysis found the availability of council-operated pest control services remains a postcode lottery.

Just 5% of councils which responded to the FoI request provide rat and mice removal services free of charge to residents.

The majority require residents to pay a fee ranging from £10 to £283.

Some 24% of councils do not offer a pest control service, or have discontinued them, leaving residents in those areas forced to seek alternative solutions.

The average cost to a council of providing pest control services is more than £125,000, according to the study.

Maria Lawrence, from Direct Line, said: “Infestations can not only cause huge damage to people’s homes, they also pose a huge health hazard.

“Householders should take precautions to avoid attracting pests and needing to bring in the council’s version of the Pied Piper of Hamelin by storing rubbish in securely closed containers rather than plastic bags that provide easy access to rats and other pests.”

Niall Gallagher, technical and compliance manager at the British Pest Control Association, said: “The statistics show a significant uptick in call-outs, so it is increasingly important for residents to consider calling a professional at the first sign of pest activity.

“Rats and mice are a public health concern and have rapid breeding cycles, which means an infestation can quickly escalate.

“Bedbug infestations are tricky to deal with and horribly distressing for those that have to live alongside them, meaning a pest professional should always deal with them.”