Survey Shows Glasgow Rat Population Increase

Pest Solutions Featured in BBC News Report on Tackling Glasgow Rat Numbers

Pest Solutions very own Gemma Sutherland and Iain Mackinnon appeared on BBC Scotland’s Reporting Scotland programme this week, providing a professional pest controller’s perspective on the worrying rise of rats in the city of Glasgow.

The increasing number of rats in the city has been at the forefront of local news in recent times following a report that found Glasgow to have the largest population of rats in Scotland.

This week, the story hit the national news and was featured on Reporting Scotland, BBC Scotland’s prime time evening news programme.

Pest Solutions were proud to appear front and centre on the programme, with the segment following our very own Iain Mackinnon (Advanced Service Technician) and Gemma Sutherland (Service Manager/Graduate Advanced Technician) in the field as they highlighted rat activity across the city.

Gemma and Iain were both interviewed on the programme and did themselves and our company incredibly proud, doing a brilliant job of explaining the relationship between human activity and rat infestations.

The expert opinion of two professional pest controllers who have been tackling rat problems in Glasgow for several years and have seen the increase in activity in real time, and no-one could have done a better job of raising pest awareness among BBC Scotland’s huge audience.

Why is Glasgow’s Rat Problem in the News?

A recent report by insurance company Direct Line, revealed that rats and mice were responsible for a whopping 271,343 domestic pest control callouts in across the UK in 2023.

The same report identified Glasgow as the city with the most rat problems in Scotland, with a significant increase in numbers over recent years and 5389 pest control callouts in 2023 alone.

This disturbing news is no surprise to the team here at Pest Solutions who handled rat problems in Glasgow every single day and have seen first-hand the extent of the issue at hand.

However, the report has helped massively to raise awareness of the full extent of Glasgow’s rodent problems and has been featured in many local and national news outlets over the past few days.

Glasgow City Council in particular have taken a significant amount of slack for the rapidly escalating numbers with the Glasgow convener for the GMB Union blaming the council’s lack of action and chronic cuts for turning many parts of the city into a no-go area in a daily record article.

In response to the criticism, Glasgow City Council have claimed that Glasgow’s status as Scotland’s biggest city means there will always be more rodents found here than any other town or city in the country.

Whilst this may be true, to some extent, it doesn’t excuse the exponential rise in numbers over the last few years in particular. Rat populations are heavily dependent on human activity, and issues such as littering, refuse collection, and a lack of basic hygiene are all serious problems accelerating the explosion of rodent populations.

Gemma Sutherland and Iain Mackinnon did a fantastic job of highlighting these issues on Reporting Scotland, and we hope the coverage not only helps alter the public’s behaviour and perception of pests but also prompts public bodies to take more serious action.

Whilst Gemma and Iain’s natural screen presence impressed us all, their expertise and knowledge came as no surprise to anyone here. After all, we see their great work every single day, and both have been recognised on a national level in the past with Gemma Sutherland named 2023 Pest Controller of the Year at the National Pest Awards and winning the commitment to CPD award at the BPCA Member Awards 2024.

Why are Rats Such a Big Deal?

Rats are a serious threat to public health and rising numbers in Glasgow are not something that should be taken lightly.

Brown rats, the species that causes the vast majority of issues in the city, carry all sorts of diseases, destroy properties, and pose a serious fire hazard by chewing through electrical cables.

Every single person in the city should be concerned about these recent findings, and every single person will be needed to help turn a corner and protect our beloved city from this very real and very serious threat.

If you have any questions or concerns about rodent activity in your areas, don’t hesitate to contact the experts here at Pest Solutions. We are committed not only to our customers, but also to helping tackle the global issue of rat, rodent, and general pest activity, and are home to some of the most experienced and knowledgeable pest control professionals anywhere in the UK.

What Can be Done to Fix Glasgow’s Rat Problem?

At Pest Solutions, we have been trying to raise awareness of rodent problems with in the public eye and with local authorities for many years and are glad to see the issues finally being given coverage in national news.

Our team are fantastic at resolving individual rat infestations, but collaboration, shared research, and targeted campaigns focussed on changing public behaviour are a must if nationwide change is to be achieved.

Increased resistance to rodenticides and unprecedented food intolerances among rodent species has made tackling rat problems even more difficult that they already were and only through real societal change can these rising numbers be stopped in their tracks once and for all.

As Gemma Sutherland pointed out in the BBC Interview, it has been many years since there was an anti-littering campaign of any note promoted on a national level, and as anyone who lives or works in Glasgow will have seen just how much refuse is left lying around our streets.

We work closely with the British Pest Control Association BPCA, and other national bodies, to develop widespread strategies to tackle pest problems on a wider scale and support any research and development that could find a more permanent solution.

As for individual rat infestations, our fantastic team of Glasgow pest control professionals have a fantastic reputation of eliminating problems on both domestic and commercial properties and putting steps in place to prevent them from ever coming back.

Dealing with Rat Problems in Glasgow?

If you live in Glasgow and have seen any signs of rodent activity in or around your home, call Pest Solutions immediately. The longer you leave it, the larger the population of rodents will grow and the more serious the threat to property and health will grow.