BOLTON is among the worst places in the country for pest control callouts to deal with rats, according to new figures.

Of 326 local authorities analysed by the British Pest Control Association (BPCA), Bolton had the 30th largest rate of callouts overall per thousand people in the country, and was the second worst in Greater Manchester behind Wigan.

The survey shows that Bolton’s pest control team dealt with 2,439 discoveries of rats in 2012, 1,000 more than Manchester City Council, which caters for a population nearly twice as large as Bolton.

The council said it did not believe Bolton was infested with more pests than the other Greater Manchester boroughs.

A spokesman put the figures down to the fact the council does not charge for its service, while other authorities do.

However, Stockport Council also tackles rat and mice infestations for nothing, and had just 1,280 call outs for rat problems in 2012.

Meanwhile, Manchester City Council charges £24, with that price covering three separate visits from a pest control team.

BPCA are concerned that local authorities are targeting pest control services as a way of meeting continued budget cuts imposed on them by the government.

The council says it has no plans to scale back its pest control operations.

Bolton’s team was used 5,075 times last year, which works out at 18.34 call outs per 1,000 people, a rate higher than all boroughs of Greater Manchester other than Wigan’s, who were used 19.91 times per 1,000 people.

Bolton’s pest control service also dealt with 694 mice problems, 722 cases involving wasps and 590 ant infestations.

A council spokesman said: “The council offers a comprehensive service for the removal of most types of pests.

“We do not believe that there is a higher proportion of pests in the borough than in other parts of Greater Manchester.

“However, low take-up in other areas may be linked to the other councils’ charging policies.

“Bolton Council still offers a free service for the treatment of rats and mice, so consequently, we have a higher proportion of residents requesting the service is carried out by the council.”

In 2011, Bolton Council’s pest control services were used 4913 times, 162 fewer than 2012.

This slight increase, from 17.75 to 18.34 call outs per 1,000 people, meant Bolton rose from 42nd to 30th in the list of busiest UK pest control bodies.

BPCA Chief Executive, Simon Forrester, said: “There are many localised reasons why an area could have a high prevalence of a certain pest.

“Local authorities are under immense strain to come up with savings and the BPCA wants to make sure this doesn’t have an impact on public health.

“If a council stops providing pest control services it is important the public uses a reputable expert such as a BPCA member.

“If an infestation isn’t dealt with quickly and properly, it will spread. Dealing with it then is much more expensive and it carries a greater risk to public health.

“If residents try to deal with issues themselves, or bring in unqualified controllers because they are cheap, infestations will get out of hand.”

Aside from the Corporation of the City of London, which caters for only 8,000 people, the local authorities with the highest call out rates last year were Birmingham City Council and South Staffordshire District Council.

Ken Chadwick, owner of private pest control firm Harrier Pest Prevention, which operates across the North West, said Bolton’s problem with rodents is noticeably higher than other parts of the North West.

He said: “Problems with wasps and insects tend to be weather related and we had a busy summer in Bolton in terms of wasp complaints.

“But it is certainly true that rodents tend to be a bigger in problem in Bolton, like Blackpool and Liverpool has unusual flea problems.

“A number of factors have probably contributed to the rise and we have found fortnightly bin collections lead to a jump in call outs.”

WHY THE PEST CONTROL TEAM WAS CALLED OUT

  • Bolton Council’s pest control team was called out 5,075 times in 2012
  • There were 18.34 callouts per 1,000 people
  • There were 2,439 discoveries of rats
  • Council staff were called to 694 mice cases
  • People reported 722 cases involving wasps
  • There were 590 ant infestations