A BRADFORD binman has said surging rat populations are making their collection rounds a misery as they come face to face with the rodent pests.

Overfilled commercial bins are giving rats a chance to gorge themselves on leftover food, a waste collection firm has said, causing population numbers to rise by 25 per cent over the Covid-19 pandemic.

Now, waste collection firms are calling for businesses to be more careful with their waste to avoid attracting the vermin and giving refuse collectors a fright while doing their rounds.

The worst day for coming nose to nose with a rat, which can often grow to almost half a metre long including tail and weigh almost half a kilogram, is Mondays, according to Mark Taylor, 44, a binman from Addingham.

He said: “When we go to empty a bin on a Monday, there’s a stream of rats running to safety.

“It’s really bad if it’s a food store or a restaurant, and they haven’t secured the lid.

“We’re clubbing the bins with a big stick, then giving them a couple of minutes to run away. It’s terrifying.”

Following a weekend’s trade commercial bins at restaurants and takeaways are often full to the brim with uneaten food, giving rats considerable time to feed without being disturbed – until the binmen turn up on Mondays.

Mark Hall, spokesperson for waste collection service BusinessWaste.co.uk, added: “Our operators come up against rats on a daily basis, but Mondays are especially bad and our teams are genuinely worried about getting bitten."

A video here of the issues binmen face daily from BusinessWaste.co.uk

Milder winters – caused by climate change – and the impact of the pandemic have seen an explosion in the UK’s rat population, with numbers now estimated to stand at 150 million, outnumbering humans more than two to one, and they are attracted to wherever there is food.

Like Mr Taylor said, binmen have to whack bins to get the rats to flee, but there is still the terrifying prospect of getting bitten.

Another binman, who stayed anonymous, said: “We’re seeing more rats and other vermin than ever before, hundreds of them. And they’re bolder, too.”

Adam Bailey, operations director at refuse collection firm Divert, added: “Once disturbed, the vermin are in a state of panic and run in all directions.

“Our teams now go into action with trousers tucked into boots and sleeve cuffs done up tight. But that’s still no guarantee.”

How to solve the problem

While rats are never going to disappear completely, there are some steps homeowners and businesses can take to discourage the rodents from scurrying up to their properties in the hope of a meal.

Mr Hall said: “The number one thing owners can do is secure the lids on their bins.

“The number two thing is not to overfill them”.

Open and overflowing bins have a much higher percentage of attracting rats and putting binmen at risk of being bitten, as well as anyone who happens to be walking by.

Mr Hall has called on food businesses to take action to stop overfilling bins or leaving them open, as it is them which cause the biggest problems with rat infestations.

He added: “That means people who run restaurants, food shops, pubs – anywhere that produces tasty, tasty food waste – needs to lock down their bins every time they use them.

“They say that if you’re in a big city, you’re never more than six feet away from a rat.

“While that’s been an urban myth for years, it’s coming more and more of a reality, and it’s a problem of our own making.”

A Bradford Council spokesperson added: “Unfortunately vermin is an issue in most large cities and we take appropriate action in areas that are affected.

“Staff take the usual precautions such as wearing protective clothing and disinfecting equipment.

“We ask people to put all waste in the correct bins and not leave out side waste which can easily be breached.

“Businesses should have lockable lids to prevent people from throwing in additional waste, not over fill their bins and keep the lids closed.

“The council seeks to educate people in the first instance and prosecutes persistent offenders.”

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