Hundreds of homes across Oldham were infested with rats last year, new figures show, as residents battle with landlords, housing associations and the Council to attend to the problem.

A freedom of information request by Direct Line Home Insurance reveals Oldham Council were called to tackle 506 rat infestations last year - a jump from the 497 infestations recorded in 2021 and 475 in 2020.

However, it is important to note that these figures do not include calls made to private landlords or housing associations in the borough, suggesting the figures are only the tip of the iceberg.

Elsewhere, Swansea Council dealt with the most rodents last year with 16,800 infestations tackled, followed by Southwark Council (16,700) and Birmingham City Council (12,700).

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The British Pest Control Association said pest management is vital to maintaining people's health and well-being, but the high cost of services often leads to ineffective DIY methods.

Ian Andrew, chief executive at the British Pest Control Association, said rats are a "serious public health pest" with rapid breeding cycles - leading to infestations to escalate quickly.

He added: "Unfortunately, being unable to afford pest control increases the likelihood of people either ignoring infestations or attempting DIY pest control methods, which can make the issue worse and endanger other people or non-target species."

The data comes as residents across the borough have told The Oldham Times about their uphill battle to stamp out their pest problem.

A young woman, who was also the former Oldham Youth Mayor, said she was forced into homelessness for six months last year after the authorities rejected her pleas to help with a rat infestation.

When she was forced to leave the property to live in a shipping container, her neighbour even rang the police after growing concerned about the number of flies coming from the property.

The 20-year-old said police were concerned there was a dead body in the flat.

A grandmother described her home as something out of a horror film after an Oldham housing association left her to deal with flies and decomposing rats for more than a year.

The 61-year-old said in January this year that rats kept coming back to her property and dying in the insulation or her kitchen cabinets.

"It's like out of the film Amityville Horror, when you go into a room and it's full of flies", she added.

Similarly, a mum-of-two said she was at breaking point when she was placed into numerous homes that were riddled with damp and rats for years by her housing associaton, forcing her to move four times in two years and put up in temporary accommodation.

Over the years, there have also been a handful of prosecutions for landlords and food premises for failing to control the pest issue.

Mr Andrew continued: "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 is taking, with the appointment of a 'rat tsar'."

The New York mayor, Eric Adams, announced the new 'rat tsar' role in April as the city tries to tackle its growing rodent problem.

Here in the UK, a total of 225,400 rat infestations were dealt with by the 181 local authorities in 2022, amounting to the equivalent of 618 per day.

The figure is only a slight increase from the 221,900 infestations across the country the year before and a 12 per cent increase from the 201,900 reports made two years prior during Covid-19 restrictions.

Dan Simson, head of Direct Line Home Insurance, said mice and rats pose a real risk to people's homes and health.

"They take advantage of issues like broken pipes, slipped roof tiles or holes in skirting to gain access to a property, often causing serious damage to the structural integrity of a building or belongings," he added.

A Local Government Association spokesperson said councils run pest control services at a cheaper rate for people on low incomes, despite it not being a statutory duty.

"Councils offering pest control services will advise residents on how to treat infestations of pests, and where it is a serious health and safety risk, can take action," they added.

They said this can range from getting rid of the pests or serving a notice ordering landlords to deal with the problem.

Councillor Chris Goodwin, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, added: “Keeping the borough clean and safe is very important to the council and our residents and that’s why we launched Don’t Trash Oldham in 2021.

“As part of the boroughwide clean-up campaign, in the near future, we plan to introduce a free pest control service for homeowners and people living in private rented accommodation.

“To help stop the spread of infestations, we urge people to make sure they are disposing of their waste properly.”

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