MEDIA
British Pest Control Association was asked by insurance giant Direct Line to be the expert pest control voice for their rodent infestation media push.
New research conducted by Direct Line shows there has been a significant rise in residential rodent infestations in the last two years, increasing 12% from 203,227 (550 per day) in 2020.
Last year, local authorities dealt with 226,831 rodent infestations – the equivalent of 621 per day.
The research also showed that each local authority spent an average of £101,044 dealing with residential rodent infestations in 2022, bringing the estimated yearly total to £36 million.
Almost one in five (19%) local authorities provide these pest control services to residents for free, but for those households that don’t qualify for discounts, councils typically charged £80 for services.
Top 10 Local Authorities dealing with the most rodent infestations.
| Rank |
Local Authority |
2021 |
2022 |
Year-on-year change |
| 1 |
City & County of Swansea |
15,516 |
16,767 |
8% |
| 2 |
Southwark Council |
8,761 |
16,664 |
90% |
| 3 |
Birmingham City Council |
14,464 |
12,736 |
-12 % |
| 4 |
Liverpool City Council |
12,032 |
10,373 |
-14% |
| 5 |
City of Glasgow |
7,894 |
10,323 |
31% |
| 6 |
Sunderland City Council |
3,232 |
5,968 |
85% |
| 7 |
Wigan Metropolitan Borough |
5,382 |
4,715 |
-12% |
| 8 |
North Lanarkshire Council |
3,469 |
4,462 |
29% |
| 9 |
London Borough of Lambeth |
3,246 |
3,645 |
12% |
| 10 |
Nottingham City Council |
4,115 |
3,573 |
-13% |
Direct Line asked BPCA for input, and we were happy to help.
Our Chief Executive, Ian Andrew, commented:
"Rodents are a serious public health pest and they have rapid breeding cycles, which means infestations require swift action as they can escalate quickly.
“Unfortunately, being unable to afford pest control increases the likelihood of people attempting DIY pest control methods, which can make infestations worse and endanger other people or non-target species.
"A pest professional such as a BPCA member will have the technical knowledge and experience required to deal with an infestation quickly and safely, as well as having access to products not available to members of the public.
“Pest management is vital for maintaining the safety, health and wellbeing of people, so it would be great to see something in the UK like the proactive approach New York City are taking, with the appointment of a ‘rat tsar’."
Video did not kill the radio star
Natalie Bungay was then invited by Direct Line to join them in a series of radio interviews on 17 May 2023.
She appeared on 15 different radio stations throughout the day, reaching an estimated 2.6million people.
It was a great opportunity for BPCA to raise the profile of our members to the general public, and we're pleased that Direct Line asked us to take part.
You can listen to one of the interviews below: