'Ridiculous' number of rats reported as pest control firm sees infestations spike after wet weather

A Jersey pest control company says its been inundated with requests to deal with rat infestations.

An extremely wet winter has left fields waterlogged, driving the rodents out of their burrows and into urban areas.

Environmentalist Jamie Hooper said: "It's an ongoing problem but wet weather does make it worse."

Professional rat catcher Frank Raimbault has been in the pest control industry for more than two decades.

Frank says he and his team are working seven days a week, with the start of this year being their busiest period on record.

He explained: "A breeding pair of rats, if you do the numbers, by the end of the year there's over a thousand rats. So the numbers are ridiculous."

Rats can be an asset to the ecosystem, being a food source themselves for predators like owls, they are a non-native species that can threaten the island's seabird populations.

Last year, National Trust Jersey put up sections of predator-proof fence to protect the island's puffins, as rats and other predators would eat the eggs and chicks of the sea bird.

Frank warned signs of small tracks on the borders of rooms, unexplained holes, the smell of ammonia, and nests made of paper or fabric could mean rats are in the home.

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