Rats in Stoke-on-Trent This Winter: Why Calls Go Up and How to Keep Them Out

Every year, as the weather turns in November, the number of rat calls we get from Stoke-on-Trent goes up. It is not that there are suddenly more rats – it is that the rats already living outside start moving into homes, garages and businesses looking for warmth and food.

If you live or run a business in the Potteries, here is why winter is peak season for rats, where they tend to get in, and how to stop them.

Why rats move indoors in winter

Rats are happy living outdoors through spring and summer, feeding on what they can find in gardens, bins, parks and along watercourses. As temperatures drop and food gets harder to find, they look for somewhere sheltered. A warm house with a kitchen is ideal.

Stoke-on-Trent has plenty of the things rats like: long stretches of canal and brook, a lot of older terraced housing with shared walls and alleyways, and older drainage systems where a single damaged pipe can give rats a route straight into a property.

How rats get into homes

• Through the drains. Broken or disused pipes, old toilet connections and missing inspection chamber covers are a common way in, especially in older terraces.
• Under doors and through gaps. A rat can get through a gap the size of a 50p coin. Gaps under garage doors and back doors are a frequent problem.
• Through airbricks and vents that have broken or missing covers.
• Along shared walls and roof spaces in terraced streets, so a problem next door can quickly become yours.
• Via extensions where gaps have been left at ground level or where the floor void connects to the outside.

Signs you have rats indoors

• Scratching or gnawing in walls, under floors or in the loft, usually at night
• Droppings that are larger than mouse droppings – dark and capsule-shaped
• Gnawed food packaging, cables or woodwork
• Greasy smear marks along skirting boards and walls
• A strong, unpleasant smell, particularly in enclosed spaces

What you can do now

• Check that inspection chamber (manhole) covers are in place and undamaged.
• Fit brush strips to the bottom of external and garage doors.
• Replace broken airbrick covers with fine mesh.
• Keep food, pet food and bird seed in sealed containers.
• Keep bins closed and do not leave rubbish bags outside.

Why it pays to deal with rats quickly

Rats breed fast, carry diseases and can do real damage by chewing through cables, pipes and insulation. Shop-bought poisons are less effective than they used to be, and can be dangerous to children and pets when used in the wrong place.

Our RSPH-qualified technicians will carry out a free survey, find out how the rats are getting in, and give you a fixed written price before any work begins. We use professional products in secure, tamper-resistant bait stations, and we look at proofing the entry points so the problem does not come back. For homes and businesses that want ongoing protection, we also offer commercial pest control contracts.

Rat control across Stoke-on-Trent and beyond

We cover the whole of Stoke-on-Trent, as well as nearby Stone, Cheadle, Stafford and Crewe. Visits are discreet, in unmarked vans.

Read more about our rat control service, call us on 07971 571 171 or freephone 0800 999 7378, or book a free survey online.