Rats feed off UK recession as trash mounts

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The UK’s rat population has swollen by 13 percent this year to more than 50 million, one for every person living in England, according to a pest control survey.

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For British rats, the worst of times has turned out to be the best of times.

The vermin more associated with the Dickensian era than modern Britain are thriving, with shuttered shops and half-built housing sites to live in, rotting piles of uncollected garbage for dinner and fewer exterminators sent out to kill them.

"Sometimes I drive into the car park and there are at least 20 of them in the bins," said Paul Hood, 46, a North London resident. "You can see them running away in the headlights. During the day, they just sit out in the bushes sunbathing."

As the biggest economic bust in 60 years fostered boom conditions for rodents, municipalities were called an estimated 700,000 times to deal with infestations in the last 12 months, compared with 650,000 the previous year, said Peter Crowden, chairman of the National Pest Technicians Association.

The rat population has swollen by 13 percent this year to more than 50 million, one for every person living in England, according to an industry consensus cited by Crowden. Rats and mice are capable of spreading more than 35 diseases, including a fever inducing nausea and muscle aches passed to humans either via a bite or the rodent's urine.

"The government needs to look at this," Crowden pointed out. "Budgets are being cut. If they don't do something, it's going to be a serious public health risk."

The economy is expected to shrink by 3.5 percent this year, chancellor of the exchequer Alistair Darling told parliament in his recent budget speech.

The housing market slump has starved local authorities of property development and planning fees that they used to fund services like waste removal.

Weekly collections at 12.5 million British homes fell 7.1 percent in the last three months of 2008 from a year earlier, according to government data compiler, WasteDataFlow. Those providing services on a biweekly basis increased 32 percent.

"They jump out of the bins," said Jason Goodright, 36, a neighbour of Hood at Larch Close in North London.

"People are frightened and just throw rubbish from a distance onto the ground, making the situation worse."

UK councils, which have a total income of £106bn ($157bn), face a deficit of up to £7bn ($11bn) this year because of the decline in building work, according to property consultants EC Harris.

A London-based spokesman for the Local Government Association, or LGA, which represents English and Welsh municipalities, declined to comment.

The recession is also leading to more empty stores and unfinished homes across Britain as businesses collapse. More than four out of five councils are currently reporting an increase in empty properties, according to the LGA. A record 15 percent of British stores will be vacant by the end of 2009 as 1,600 retailers go out of business, according to the world's biggest credit checking company, the UK-based Experian.

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READERS' COMMENTS

rats
Posted by jeff, london, U.K on Sunday 17 May 2009 at 21:52 UAE time


believe me i'm leaving the uk soon and moving to Australia -

rats
Posted by Shiekh Issa, Abu Dhabi, UAE on Friday 15 May 2009 at 14:10 UAE time

At the independent did some research and the author printed his name. This is pathetic journalism which does the reputation of this business title no credit.

Rats --- Big Ones
Posted by Joe, London, UK on Friday 15 May 2009 at 13:55 UAE time


Outrageous hatchet job on the UK!"; "jealous of the UK's success! " What is Paul talking about???? Rats are found in many parts of UK. I used to live near my works construction site in a caravan during my early days on site supervision years ago, and rats could be seen in the farm fields across not only at night but also during the day. Rats exist almost in every country, it is a fact. So if someone has pointed them out in UK, what is outrageous? As pointed out by another reader, The Great Plague of London 1665-1666 was caused by the same rats. Is that also a fabrication? It is a fact. Whenever a building or a property is neglected, it is a fact that not only rats, but other animals as well as human’s find that a convenient place to do whatever they want to do. Rats and animals scavenge, and humans squat in such neglected properties. That is a fact and not a fabrication.

Now, regarding " jealous of the UK's success!" what success is Paul talking about? If UK was a success story there would not be so many UK expats here in the construction and other industry, they should be turning the wheels of this success machinery at home etc. And, also the politicians, both Tory and Labour would not be claiming everything including bars of Kit Kats on their expense claims paid by the tax payers money etc. So, Mr Paul and Co, Truth Hurts, doesn’t it?????

reply to Jeff..
Posted by ametis, Dubai, UAE on Thursday 14 May 2009 at 22:53 UAE time


Hello Jeff....

You live near the thames and Rats are everywhere ??
Cant go out at night for fear of getting mugged ?

Have you heard of the expression " why dont you move, if its to terrible?"

You live in the docklands near the river and complain about rats, this is like living in a chicken farm and complaining about foxes

Coffee anyone??

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