East Suffolk Council challenges claim of 300 per cent increase in pest control call outs

A Suffolk council has challenged a report that it saw a 300 per cent increase in pest control call-outs.

Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by Direct Line home insurance and as reported by PA found that local authority pest control services were called out to 291,132 homes across the UK last year.

This is up three per cent on the year before and an increase of nine per cent on 2022, figures show.

Councils responded to an additional 52 rat or mouse-related call-outs per day last year compared with 2022.

Bedbug infestations also soared by 35 per cent between 2022 and 2024, while cockroach removal visits increased by 13 per cent over the same period.

The figures suggested East Suffolk Council experienced the largest rise in rat or mouse-related call-outs last year, increasing by 325 per cent on the previous year, followed by Eastleigh Borough Council in Hampshire, which saw a rise of 134 per cent.

However, a spokesperson for East Suffolk Council challenged these figures.

They said: “The information provided suggests that 291,132 residential pest control callouts were made to 165 local authorities in 2024. On that basis, this equates to 1,764 call outs per local authority.

“Here in East Suffolk Council, we received less than 50 – or less than one per week. On that basis, our figures are way below the national average and in no way statistically significant.

“The use of percentages to present this data is wholly misleading and does not reflect the nature or true number of callouts being made in this location, and we are disappointed that such a loose approach to statistical data has been presented.

“We will respond to all reports made by tenants and regularly provide advice on how to reduce the risks of infestation.”

The analysis found the availability of council-operated pest control services remains a postcode lottery.

Just five per cent of councils which responded to the FOI request provide rat and mice removal services free of charge to residents.

The majority require residents to pay a fee ranging from £10 to £283.

Some 24 per cent of councils do not offer a pest control service, or have discontinued them, leaving residents in those areas forced to seek alternative solutions.

The average cost to a council of providing pest control services is more than £125,000, according to the study.

Maria Lawrence, from Direct Line, said: “Infestations can not only cause huge damage to people’s homes, they also pose a huge health hazard.

“Householders should take precautions to avoid attracting pests and needing to bring in the council’s version of the Pied Piper of Hamelin by storing rubbish in securely closed containers rather than plastic bags that provide easy access to rats and other pests.”

Niall Gallagher, technical and compliance manager at the British Pest Control Association, said: “The statistics show a significant uptick in call-outs, so it is increasingly important for residents to consider calling a professional at the first sign of pest activity.

“Rats and mice are a public health concern and have rapid breeding cycles, which means an infestation can quickly escalate.

“Bedbug infestations are tricky to deal with and horribly distressing for those that have to live alongside them, meaning a pest professional should always deal with them.”