Warning as rat numbers soar

Council staff fear the rodents could pose a threat to children

Pest control experts are being forced to take action to deal with a big increase in the number of rats in Kent.

The county's rat population has risen by 53% over the past five years - and the warm weather has meant more of the animals are being spotted out in the open.

At Manor Country Park, in West Malling, park wardens have put up notices asking visitors not to leave bread brought to feed ducks and swans on the banks of the lake.

It is feared rats breeding in at least two nests by a lake in the park could pose a threat to children and other wildlife.

Bubonic plague

A spokesman for Kent County Council said action was being taken because the rats were creating a health hazard for visitors.

Council workers have put down rat poison at several points in the park, the spokesman said.

Secluded areas have been chosen so other wildlife is not put at risk.

There are thought to be about 60 million rats in the UK, approximately one for each person living in the country.

One pair of breeding rats can multiply to 2,000 in the space of a year - and a single rat can leave 25,000 droppings a year.

The creatures can transmit a number of diseases, including cholera, typhus, bubonic plague, salmonellosis and foot and mouth.