Brits warned not to poison 300 million super-rats taking over UK, here's why

Pest controllers first reported sightings of rats bigger than cats - also known as super-rats - some years ago.

The monstrous rodents feed off rubbish left out in the street and despite their size can get into houses via holes as small as half an inch. It is not fully known where they come from or how they build their immunity.

Super-sized rats can have teeth so powerful they can gnaw through concrete and through walls. And once they have invaded a home and located a food supply they are experts at evading pest controllers.

The experts now warn Brits against using over-the-counter poison to deal with the creatures as it only makes them stronger.

Warning over 300 million mutant rodents in the UK

As many as300 million rodents with the ability to chew through concrete and metal are thought to be living out of sight in the UK these days.

Experts blame a rise in fast food - easily available and discarded everywhere -for an explosion in rat breeding. Worryingly, the monstrous vermin becomes bigger and stronger.

Pest control expert Ian Helands warned:

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

Steve Balmain, professor of ecology at the University of Greenwich, added:

Rats need to gnaw as their teeth grow continuously and gnawing keeps them sharp. I could easily imagine 200 to 300 million rats here.

The rodents are thought to be able to chew through concrete and metal, most normally soft metals such as tin, aluminium, copper and lead. They might also penetrate steel and various hard plastics such as waste pipes and terracotta pipes.

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Super-rats become immune to poison

A new study revealed that over the past 20 years, rats have been slowly developing immunity to poison.

As many as 78% of the rodents are thought to now have genes that mean they can tolerate anticoagulant rodenticides.

The British Pest Control Association has warned that people attempting to deal with rat invasion themselves had likely made the problem worse and led to rats growing bigger in size and strength rather than dying.

The organisation warned:

The rodents have become resistant and, in some cases, immune to off-the-shelf poisons to the point where they're actually feeding off the toxic pellets, which means their size and strength are increasing.

They encourage people to seek specialist pest control help rather than deal with the problem themselves.

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Sources used:

- GB News: 'Super-rat warning over 300 MILLION mutant rodents in UK - Brits urged not to put out poison'