A MAN who runs a workshop in the centre of a Lakes holiday spot said that the problem of rats has got 'way worse' over the last 10 years. 

Resident Richard McClure said the building he uses in Bowness has holes in the walls and doors due to its age.

And he called areas of the village 'completely infested' with rats.

The council said that it had 'not seen an increase in complaints about this issue.'  

He said: "I have to constantly use rat traps to keep them at bay. I've lived in Bowness for 18 years and the problem has got way worse over the last 10 years. I've spoken to people who work in hospitality in Bowness, they all have rat stories to tell, every pub and hotel has a story but they naturally don't speak about it so they don't attract attention to the place they work.

"The prom and Lakeshore area are totally infested. The new steps and paved areas now have rats nesting under them. Then tourists buy bags of duck food from the shops on the prom and the rats have a constant food source. 

"The number of bins with food waste that are left overflowing all the time is the next food source." 

Natalie Bungay, technical manager at the British Pest Control Association, said that rodent infestations increase over winter as rats and mice are on the hunt for warm, dry shelter with access to a food source. 

READ MORE: Bowness businesses urged to keep 'unsightly' bins clean

The association said that factors such as changes in how bins are collected can play a role in rodent infestations: "Any disruption to bin collections is a concern. Overflowing wheelie bins and black bags full of rubbish are basically a buffet for pests, particularly rats and mice in winter, then in the summer they can attract insects like flies and wasps.

"There’s also a chance that the cost-of-living crisis is causing more people to attempt DIY treatments, which are likely to fail, and allow infestations to escalate and spread.

"We also saw pest patterns change considerably under the lockdowns introduced in the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Rats try to avoid humans directly and so, with less of us walking the streets, they were perhaps getting a little bolder and possibly being seen in areas they normally wouldn’t.

"It may be that those habits, which built up over lockdown, have persisted among rodent populations, meaning you’re more likely to see a rat near your home now than you were pre-Covid-19."

Ms Bungay was not surprised by the concept of rats in Bowness.

She said: "Rats are an issue across the UK, from cities and towns to rural locations, beauty spots and quiet villages. They are what’s known as a ‘commensal rodent’ which, put simply, means they can be found wherever humans are. This is because of what we can provide; steady food sources and harbourage.

"In beauty spots, a common problem can be people leaving food out for birds, squirrels and other wildlife. Done with the best of intentions, unfortunately, this provides a constant food source for animals that can then become a pest, such as rats."

A Westmorland and Furness Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of previous rat activity in the Bowness area and have, over the past several years, continued a programme of baiting and business waste enforcement activity to keep the issue under control.

“We have not seen an increase in complaints about this issue since then but continue to monitor the situation carefully.

“If residents or businesses are experiencing an increase in rat activity, we’d ask that they contact our Environmental Health team through the council website so that it can be investigated.”