| BBC
News
 Rats
are seeking shelter from wintry weather
A dramatic
rise in the number of people reporting rats in their homes
has been put down to the rodents fleeing wintry weather
outside.
Recent
cold weather and flooding is believed to have led the disease-carrying
rodents to shelter indoors.
And
the situation is only going to get worse because of the
increase in the rat population thanks to a succession of
milder winters, according to pest controllers.
Heavy
rainfall is believed to have driven rats out from the sewers.
Last
year calls to pest controllers rose by 18%.
But
this figure will increase by a further 20% this year, according
to John Davison, secretary of the National Pest Technicians
Association.
Warm
shelter
"Rats
like to have somewhere that's dry and sheltered to nest.
"They're
not bothered by water but they don't want to live in it
24 hours a day," he said.
"The
recent flooding will be pushing them to places inhabited
by humans, with more going into houses or farm buildings."
He said
that in the last few weeks, especially two or three days
after a flood, the association had noticed an increase in
complaints.
 The
UK rat population has risen dramatically
And
pest controllers tended to find three or four rats at a
time.
"When
we see an infestation it's usually quite an impressive one,"
he said.
He put
the increase down to factors including global warming and
extra litter.
Around
60% of the rodents carry Weil's disease, he added, which
causes flu-like symptoms or in more serious cases kidney
and heart failure, he added.
2,000
offspring
The
average pair of rats can produce 2,000 offspring a year,
although it was usually a quarter of this number, according
to rat expert Stephen Battersby.
 Flooding
has driven the rats out from the sewers
"I
would think there is one rat for every person in the UK,"
he said.
But
he said the colder weather would have killed some of the
young rats, said Mr Battersby, who is a research fellow
at the University of Surrey's Robens Centre for Public and
Environmental Health.
The
average rat grows to a size of around 12 inches.
Severe
flood warnings were in place in many parts of the UK for
several days this week following another spate of heavy
rainfall.
Kent
and Yorkshire were among the worst affected areas this week
as rivers burst their banks.
Prince
Charles is to visit West Yorkshire on Monday.
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