Huge rats that are capable of treading water could be attempting to sneak their way up your water pipes and into your home, according to a pest control expert.
Of course, the pest expert has skin in this particular game, as he’s paid to get rid of pests and therefore stands to gain from this sort of thing, but he’s also well qualified to know what creepy crawlies and rodents could be hanging around waiting for a way to get into your gaff.
Ian Helands, the aforementioned expert, says that rats ‘the size of cats’ seem to be ‘taking over’.
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I – for one – welcome our new rodent overlords.
Basically, the population of rats is on the rise big time, and that means that more and more vermin might be out there looking for somewhere warm to stay and – crucially – reproduce.
He told the Daily Star: “I have had more callouts than ever from homeowners who have heard a noise, looked down into their toilet only to find a giant rat.
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“No one is safe. Rats are excellent swimmers with bendy bones and can squeeze into the smallest of spaces.
“They can hold their breath for three minutes and tread water for three days, and they are coming up waste pipes.
“They’re cunning and getting bolder and bolder. Basically, if they want to get into your home, they will.”
Great, as if we haven’t got enough bad news on our plate at the minute.
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Covid-19, the rising threat of a third world war, and now giant rats springing out from down the bog.
Ian, who works for company Pests Be Gone, claims that there has been a 25 percent increase in the rat population since the beginning of the pandemic.
He went on: “People are scared and they should be. There are more rats than ever and they are taking over. I have seen some the size of cats.”
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The rise in pests entering homes could partially be down to the fact that so many people are working from home at the minute.
With the population no longer heading into towns and cities every day, rats are having to roam further and look a bit harder to find food.
Still, all is not lost.
You can take precautions against the rats getting in through your pipes, such as having 'rat gates' installed, and simply keeping your house clean.
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Ian added: “You can get rat gates for water pipes – these used to be used in very rural areas, such as near canals, but now we are recommending them even in built-up housing areas."
So, get yourself a rat gate installed, and you can continue to sit on the throne in peace, and without the lingering fear of being bitten on the a*se by a rat.
Tom Wood