If you have a problem with rats or mice in your home or garden call customer services on 0300 300 8302. They will arrange for a rodent operative to visit you.

In rural areas rats and mice naturally inhabit fields, woods, culverts, river banks etc. In more built up areas sewers are the perfect man made rat habitat. Problems occur when the rodents are attracted into homes and gardens. To help avoid this:-

• Ensure no food such as that left over from barbeques is left in the garden.
• Use rodent-proof bird feeders
• Always store animal feed in sealed containers
• Ensure your home is ‘rodent proof’. Check for any possible points of entry. Repair broken air bricks, gaps in brickwork and damaged drains and sewers
• Do not allow your garden to become overgrown or a dumping ground for waste items as this could offer suitable hiding places for rats and mice to live and breed.

Rodent pests living in close proximity to humans can cause a number of problems:

• Rats and mice carry a number of diseases and parasites which can directly affect humans such as murine typhus, salmonella and leptospirosis
• Rodents can damage buildings and installations, creating a significant risk of fire or electrocution
• Rodent infestations lead to stress and affect mental well being

A number of treatment products are available from hardware stores, DIY outlets and supermarkets. Always make sure that you follow the instructions carefully

Where there is evidence of rodent infestation or significant amounts of food items capable of attracting rodents we will try to encourage the resident or landowner to resolve the problem. If however this informal approach fails then we can take enforcement action under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949. This may involve us arranging the necessary works and then recovering our costs from the responsible person.

Central Bedfordshire Council’s pest control contractor received over 800 rat and mouse enquiries last year (2010/11). A combination of milder winters and plentiful food supplies has allowed the population to boom.

Bird feeders are rarely to blame for attracting rats into an area. Rats are more likely to be interested and attracted by odours from pet waste, outdoor pet food bowls, unwashed barbeque grills, unharvested fruit and nuts from trees, ripped/open rubbish bags and compost bins.

First, be sure that the culprit is definitely a rat.  If all you have to go on is a hole dug out at the bottom of the compost bin (without any further visible evidence), then it could just as easily be a harmless hedgehog looking for a safe nursery to rear young, especially at certain times of the year.  Any disturbance of a hedgehog nest may result in the unnecessary abandonment of hoglets. 

Keep a watchful eye on the comings and going from the compost bin.  If you establish that it is a rat, you need to consider that rats tend to use compost bins as shelter in much the same way they would view gaps under sheds or decking.  If a rat has taken up residence (frequently seen coming and going from the bin), then start to implement the following advice:

The most effective ways to eliminate rats from your garden is to

• deny them access to shelter – remove hiding and nesting places
• repair and seal any openings in buildings
• remove sources of standing water around your garden

Stop access to your:

• rubbish (by not putting your rubbish bags out too early before collection and ensuring the lid on your bin is shut properly),
• pet waste (ensure you bag it, knot bag and place in bin with lid properly closed), 
• spilled bird seed, only offer as much food as the birds will eat each day to avoid build up of food particles and remember to sweep, rake or clean up as much spilled seeds as possible

Ensure you:

• Store bird seeds in a secure, rodent proof container
• Store your barbeque grill in a secure outbuilding between uses and keep it clean of grease and food debris
• Make certain you are not putting any of the wrong things in the compost bin (meat, bones, dairy products, cooked foods or baked goods) which might serve to attract the rats.  Uncooked fruit and vegetable peel are far less appealing. 

If you suspect a rat is living in your compost bin, give it a daily kick (rats like quiet places), carefully turn your compost regularly (see note below) with a garden fork (they don’t like being disturbed) and make the living conditions even more unpleasant by keeping the heap more moist than usual. 

• If the heap is flushed with cold water, after a while, efforts need to be made to rectify it from remaining too wet (which can hamper the composting process).  Do so by incorporating more dry material (dry leaves, shredded paper and scrunched up cardboard).  Work this gently into the heap with a garden fork. 

Note. Whenever working a compost heap with a fork,  be very careful not to accidentally impale any hedgehogs which might be living at the bottom of the heap. 

The presence of a rat in your garden is not necessarily something to worry about. It is likely that there are rats visiting lots of gardens, especially when there is food freely available, such as bird seed, compost waste or rubbish bags left outside.