A pest management company has shared images of a rat-infested attic, where rodents have been running rampant for years.
Burnley-based pest management and prevention business, Atlas Environmental Services, attended a property in Nelson after they recieved reports of rats in the loft space.
Despite another pest management company being called before Atlas Environmental Services, rats were still evident in the space.
This loft now requires a full decontamination and treatment procedure.
A spokesperson for the company said there may be as many as 12 rats living in the attic and estimate that they have been there for around two years.
They said: “We are currently treating the property against the rats now.
“The loft will require a full clearance and disinfection service to eliminate the harmful bacteria and diseases carried from rats.
“It's very hard to say how many rats are currently evident within the loft space but we can say the average litter size is around 7-12.
“With the amount of droppings found evident we predict this infestation has been evident for around 2 years.”
According to the business' website rodenticides and trapping methods are designed for the correct species of rodent abiding by the current industry's laws and legislations at all times.
How to spot signs of rat-infestation
According to the council's website, rats are a hazard to public health and can transmit a number of diseases, such as Weil's disease and murine typhus, and other organisms such as Salmonella bacteria, viruses and parasites such as worms and fleas.
Rats can breed quickly. A healthy female can produce five litters a year, each of 8-10 young with offspring attaining sexual maturity in 8-12 weeks. At any time as many as 30 per cent of females in a population may be pregnant.
It is quite easy for infestations to build up without ever noticing a rat as their nocturnal habit tends to keep them away from the human contact.
If a rat is seen during the day, it is usually an indicator of a sizeable infestation. Signs of infestation are droppings, gnaw marks, runs and ‘smear marks’ produced by the continual rubbing of their fur against surfaces.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel