Rat catcher says service demand is growing year on year

Professional rat-catcher Terry Walker has said he is “extremely busy” tackling massive rodents across the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole region – and has come close to breaking his own UK record of largest rat caught.

Terry made the headlines in 2018 when he and his dog Max caught a 21-inch rat weighing 650g in Bournemouth which is understood to still be the largest caught in the UK.

Since then, the 56-year-old says he has come close on numerous occasions to surpassing that size and believes pest control demand will continue to grow in the area.

He told the Echo: “95 per cent of my work comprises of rats and that’s growing year on year. We do a lot in Bournemouth, often in back alleys, bin areas and takeaway premises can be extremely busy.

“The owners of these businesses can be perfectly ethical, professional and take care, but if there’s a mess left by the public that can be it. Business owners can be a scapegoat if a rat runs by but often there are surrounding influences that have caused it.”

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs figures showed 2,791 fly-tipping incidents were reported to BCP Council in 2020-21, a record high.

Interestingly, Terry says his business (TP Pest Control Services) was one of few that actually picked up during the pandemic which he puts down to people exploring more of their home and garden environments.

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He said: “People during lockdown were venturing down into their lofts and garden sheds for example which they hadn’t used in years and with that they often noticed rodent issues they otherwise wouldn’t have done.

Large rat caught. Picture: TP Pest Control Services

“Property extensions, new bathrooms being done – often rodents are found in redundant pipes no longer being used.”

Busier than ever before, Terry thinks demand for pest control services will only increase and estimates his record will be broken soon. He added:

“Size wise, we’re yet to beat the 21 inch one but we are catching 18, 19 and 20-inch rats on a regular basis. It’s only a matter of time before that’s beat.”

BCP Council’s portfolio holder for regulatory services, Cllr Bobbie Dove, said: “We can reassure residents that we have adequate provision to deal with any pest control issues – we employ the latest techniques and have experienced no reduction in their effectiveness.

“It is extremely important that people manage their waste properly especially their food waste bins to help reduce the opportunity for pests to feed or bed down in leftover material.

“We remain available to respond to pest control enquiries from Monday to Friday and anyone who has concerns should visit our information pages at Pest Control (bcpcouncil.gov.uk).”