Rats That Can Hold Their Breath For Three Minutes ... - Evening Standard

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Rats that can hold their breath for three minutes come up from toilet, warns pest expertLockdown has seen the population of rodents in the UK boosted to around 150million

Stock image of rats PA ArchiveEsra Arahu22 February 2022 COMMENTS

Rats that can hold their breath for three minutes are slipping into UK homes via toilets, a pest control expert has warned.

Lockdown has seen the population of rodents in the UK boosted to around 150million as numbers of the furry creatures have sky-rocketed since before the pandemic in 2019.

In a new interview, pest control expert Ian Hedlands issued a stark warning that no one was safe from “cunning” rats and he said some were “the size of cats”.

He told The Daily Star: “No-one is safe. Rats are excellent swimmers with bendy bones and can squeeze into the smallest of spaces. They can hold their breath for three minutes and tread water for three days, and they are coming up waste pipes.

“They’re cunning and getting bolder and bolder. Basically, if they want to get into your home, they will.”

Mr Hedlands lifted the lid on how the closure of city centres and the increase in people working remotely has driven rats into homes in search of food and warmth.

He told the newspaper: “[The number of rats] has increased by 25% each year over the Covid pandemic.”

The pest control expert urged people to proof their homes against these pests which can tread water for three days and hold their breath for three minutes.