The rat league of Greater Manchester - thankfully Oldham is way down the rodent problem table

When it comes to things that make your skin crawl, discovering a rat in your house or back garden probably tops the list. 

Unlike the popular 2007 Disney film Ratatouille suggests, it is highly unlikely any of these creatures will be whipping you up a delicious meal – it’s more likely they’ll be giving you a fright.

Despite many councils making huge efforts to reduce the problem, many residents of Greater Manchester are still plagued by the pesky vermin in and around their homes.

Thankfully, though, Oldham ranks way down the 10-strong council league table at present.

Rat problems hit some areas worse than others – which is why the Local Democracy Reporting Service has created the ‘Greater Manchester Rat League for 2022’.

After submitting Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to each borough council, data has revealed the worst offenders in the region for rat problems last year.

Authorities record the data in different ways so the statistics have been broken down by ward, postcode and area – with some clarifying if the reports came from inside or outside the house (external or internal callouts).

It is important to note that some areas are bigger and also have more densley populated communites, which may affect the figures. 

The data shows that there were more reports from inside the home than outside.

Wigan had the most callouts, but claim that this was due to their three visit approach tripled their figures.

Here is the rat callouts in 2022 league table for each of the 10 Greater Manchester borough:

Wigan – 3,605
Manchester – 2,407
Salford – 1,000
Stockport – 832
Rochdale – 771
Bury – 640
Bolton – 600
Oldham – 431
Trafford – 363
Tameside – 286

Oldham – 431 total callouts

Despite being on the lower end of this list, Oldham Council says the problem has worsened in the last few years.

They offer a helpline to report these issues and outlined what they do to support residents with vermin.

Councillor Hannah Roberts, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods at Oldham Council, said: “Rats are a common problem across the region and nationally and the problem has worsened over the last few years.

"We know how important this issue is to residents, and as part of our latest budget proposals, we are looking at what more we can do to help residents.

“In the meantime, if you have a pest/vermin problem, please contact our Pest Control Service on 0161 770 2244 as it is very difficult to get rid of rats without professional help.

"Our current treatment involves up to two visits in a four-week period, although an additional treatment may be required depending on the severity of the infestation.”

Breakdown of data by postcode:

OL1
Internal callouts: 16
External callouts: 7
OL2
Internal callouts: 68
External callouts: 11
OL3
Internal callouts: 14
External callouts: 4
OL4
Internal callouts: 80
External callouts: 6
OL8 
Internal callouts: 79
External callouts: 15
OL9
Internal callouts: 72
External callouts: 11
M35
Internal callouts: 44
External callouts: 4

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