THE number of rat infestations in Bournemouth is increasing and a pest controller said council cuts could affect the poorest people in the community.

The rat population in Bournemouth jumped by 25 per cent from 2019 to 2020, from 324,367 to 405,459, according to pest controller pest.co.uk.

Jenny Rathbone, of pest.co.uk, said: “Lockdown is presenting a serious challenge for pest controllers in Bournemouth, none more so than where financial cuts and social distancing is hampering the local authority department in their ability to tackle rat populations.

“This is not only a funding issue, the population of rats is growing, now to a staggering 405,459, and the ability to control them with traditional means is decreasing as 74 per cent of UK rats have been shown to carry immunity to popular poisons.

“The big problem we face is that residents of more deprived areas tend to use local authority services to treat rodent problems, and it’s these areas rats are moving to during lockdown, any cuts to services will end up impacting the poorest the hardest.”

Pest.co.uk urged peopled to block up holes, filling any gaps in brickwork and holes on external walls, clear cupboards, secure all food sources and prepare traps.

Ms Rathbone added: “2021 could be interesting and the longer the lockdown continues, the higher the risk that rats get a real foothold that will be hard to control come summer.”

Councillor May Haines, BCP Council portfolio holder for community safety, said: “It is impossible to accurately count the number of rodents in an area. We can, however, monitor the number of treatments carried out by our environmental health teams, and in 2020 the number of these undertaken was only 12.5 per cent higher than in the previous year.

“Rodent populations fluctuate on an annual basis, and because people are spending more time at home due to the ongoing pandemic, they are also more likely to notice them.

“We can reassure local residents that we have adequate provision to deal with any pest control issues and that there are currently no plans to reduce our spending in this area. We employ the latest techniques and have experienced no reduction in their effectiveness.

“We remain available to respond to pest control enquiries from Monday to Friday and anyone who has concerns should visit our information pages at bcpcouncil.gov.uk/environment.”