The enormous scale of the rat problem in Dudley has been revealed.

They say you’re never more than 6ft away from a rat, and that looks never more true as experts put a huge estimate on the number of them across the borough.

It is a 430,690!

Apparently rats have had a bumper year, and places like Dudley are perfect for them – urban areas with lots of available food.

But how can experts estimate them down to the last ten? Well its based on human population size, with the number of rats estimated to equate to the number of people, multiplied by 2.2.

Pest control firm Pest.co.uk say from their experience of dealing with infestations this year, the rate population is up 25%.

Rats have been making nests in vacant buildings in quiet streets with poor waste practices.

“Lockdown has helped them breed in relative peace with closed properties with poor waste management practices providing them with plentiful food and shelter”, say the firm.

Rats typically have six litters of between 6 and 12 pups each year.

In Birmingham last week workers disturbed a group of rats – its called a “mischief” - living inside the popular “Floozie in the Jacuzzi” statue yards from Birmingham City Hall and in an area usually busy with shoppers at the many markets held close by.

In fact Birmingham is estimated to have 2.4m rats.

For more information go to: https://www.pest.co.uk/dudley/