Britain’s longest heatwave since 1976 could spark a plague of rats as they gnaw on food rubbish warmed by weeks of sunshine and early-ripened fruit.
Councils could be forced to step up bin collections as they battle the rodent problem, with the rats also feasting on leftovers at parks and beaches.
Pest controllers also say they are receiving more calls than usual for the time of year as vermin invade homes – and the heat is said to be increasing their activity.
(From left) Local residents Darren Ward, Ruth Cooke, Eric Tugwell and Patricia Brown are angry about the uncollected rubbish in Brighton over fears that it could cause an invasion of rats
Residents in Wigan, Salford and Brighton have complained to councils about rats, with Edinburgh and Devon said to have seen an explosion in the number of rodents.
Rodent expert Professor Steve Belmain told the Sun: ‘When it’s warmer they have a higher metabolism and will need more food and water just to survive.
‘People are outdoors more and, the more we picnic, the more food waste we create. Rodents are known to transmit more than 60 different diseases.
‘More diseases are coming from Europe. Climate change increases temperatures which means those diseases could establish themselves here in time.’
It comes as the mercury is set to hit 95F (35C) today and rise to 99F (37C) on Friday, triggering a thunderstorm warning in the afternoon and evening.
Local resident Patricia Brown said she had phoned the council every day to try to sort the mess
A new record could be set for the hottest ever July day, while there is even a chance Britain could beat its all-time record temperature of 101.3F (38.5C).
Kevin Higgins, from The British Pest Control Association, told the Daily Mirror the callouts for mice and rats normally drop in summer as they move into the outdoors.
But he added: ‘This year we are seeing no evidence of that, with our members saying that call-outs to deal with rodents are continuing in the summer months.
‘It seems they are staying indoors in commercial and domestic properties and the volume of calls being received is highly unusual for this time of the year.
‘One theory is that there is a good deal of fruit around this year due to the warm weather and that rats and mice don’t have to travel as far as usual to feed.’
The mercury is set to hit 95F (35C) in South East England today and rise to 99F (37C) on Friday
Earlier this week, uncollected rubbish in overflowing bins combined with the heat raised fears over rats in Brighton, where bins have not been emptied for weeks.
Residents are so fed up with rats from overflowing bins that they want to move. Bin bags have been baking in the sun and people are complaining about the smell.
People living at Framroze Court in Hollingdean said rats were being seen more and more frequently, and children are no longer having parties outside on the lawn.
Resident Patricia Brown said she was afraid to go out near the bins after dark because she had seen rats, while other residents confirmed they had seen vermin.
Brighton and Hove City Council said it was looking into the situation and hoped to resolve it as soon as possible, adding: ‘We apologise for the inconvenience.’