Boomtime rats: Wet summer causes a 25% rise in pest control call-outs as rodents are flushed out of

The record rainfall has also led to an huge invasion of giant slugs and snails which are attacking crops

Plagues of rats are descending on homes after the wet summer has flushed them out of sewers.

Months of rain have led to a 25% rise in calls to deal with an increasing number of the UK’s 80 million rats emerging from drains looking for food.

The record rainfall has also led to an huge invasion of giant slugs and snails which are attacking crops.

And the country is even being hit by swarms of mosquitoes which love breeding in the damp conditions.

The National Pest Technicians Association said rat sightings have risen as the weather has forced them out in the daytime.

The NPTA’s Adam Hawley said: “We’re having an incredible summer of rain, and the sewers and drains are not coping with the amount of flood water that inevitably flushes the rats to higher ground.

"With that, rats are trying to find some sort of dwelling to live in – whether they then try to move into people’s garages or sheds, or into people’s lofts to get away from the flood water.

"The knock-on effect is, potentially, people’s dwellings are getting rat infestations.”

David Hayes, boss of insurance firm Drain Claim, said: “Home owners have already reported a surge in rat problems and unfortunately this is likely to continue as the flood waters subside.”

Health officials advise people clearing up after floods to block up holes and clear away waste food.

Rat facts

There are an estimated 80 million rats in Britain.

One breeding pair can produce 200 offspring in a year.

Adult sewer rats grow to around 30cm long.

Human babies and even adults have been killed in rat attacks.

They were responsible for spreading the Black Death plague by carrying infected fleas.

A group of rats is called a mischief.

Courtesy of The Mirror