rodent nightmare:

hillingdon named as the ‘rat capital’

SCARED of scaly tails? Well it’s bad news if you live in Hillingdon with Hayes and Harlington being named the ‘rat capitals’.

Nearly 3,500 rat complaints were made to local authorities across west London last year.

The figures, obtained exclusively by getwestlondon, rank the worst offending boroughs in the area, with the highest reaching nearly 1,000 calls from people concerned with the pests, and the lowest at just more than 150.

Westminster Council did not divulge specific information on rat requests.

Hillingdon is the west London borough with the worst record for rat reports to the council, the figures have shown.

A total of 930 rat complaints were made to the council between January and November 2016 – around 200 more than the second worst borough, Ealing.

Hayes and Harlington in Hillingdon are the ‘rat capitals’ of west London, with 182 calls coming from those areas during the 11 month period.

The information was obtained by the Chronicle using Freedom of Information requests to eight local authorities in west London.

More rat complaints were made in Hayes and Harlington than were made in the entire of Kensington and Chelsea during that period.

In Uxbridge there were 160 reports and 153 in Ruislip.

Ealing is the second worst west London borough for rat reports, with 733, followed by Hounslow with 647.

The lowest number of rats reported between January and November came from Kensington and Chelsea with just 161.

Hammersmith and Fulham was not far behind with 183 reports.

Mice and rats are normally active at night and residents might not see them during the day. The fur colour varies between light brown and grey. Body length varies between 60mm to 90mm and the tail can add an additional 100mm.

Often the droppings found are black, rodshaped and 3mm to 6mm long.

The most common signs of rats are: Droppings Gnawing Tracks Burrows Nests Diseases from rodents can be passed on to humans by contaminating food or surfaces with urine, droppings and hairs.

Rats, in particular, can pass on leptospirosis, a disease that can lead to Weil’s disease and can be fatal to humans. They can also gnaw a range of materials, including electric cables and wiring causing damage to property.

A landlord would only be considered responsible if defects to the property allow rodent access.

Residents need to check tenancy agreements or leases to see who is responsible for keeping common areas clean, as it may be the tenant’s responsibility to remove the material which is attracting them and then organise pest control.

Anyone can report a rat problem to Hillingdon Council by calling 01895 556000.