With the British heatwave set to scorch the country until the end of August, Brits can do a number of things to help reduce the growing rat epidemic.
Temperatures are set to reach 37 degrees Celsius in the capital this week and the hot weather is causing bin bags to bake.
Any food waste inside these bin sacks is heated up, making a delicious target for rats and vermin that are scouring the streets for their next meal.
Councils are considering stepping up their bin collections as temperatures soar and the waste experts at JunkHunters are encouraging Brits to take steps to stop the growing rodent activity.
How Homeowners can Help
Harsha Rathnayake, the founder of UK waste service JunkHunters shares his advice on how consumers can help reduce rats in communal and residential areas: “One of the best ways to stop rats targeting bins and rubbish is to simply cut off their food source as much as possible.
“This requires keeping household food waste to a minimum and if you have any food scraps, place them in biodegradable food bags or wrap them in newspaper to help reduce any smells that may attract rats.
“It may sound simple but where possible, move bins out of direct sunlight to help stop any waste cooking in the heat, it’s good to keep on top of this and ensure that bins are moved to shady places throughout the day.
“It goes without saying, but avoid chucking food litter in the streets and where you can, avoid using open street bins as they are an easy target for rats to crawl in through their open tops.
“If you can take food waste such as half eaten sandwiches and takeaways home to put in the bin or recycling then do so, rather than using open bins. This will prevent the open bins from overfilling and becoming a hive for rodent activity in communal areas.
“Small actions such as this will collectively help towards making communal streets and residential areas more bearable in the heat and will contribute to reducing the rat problem.”