THE rat population of Bradford could reach 'medieval' proportions soon and Ilkley is still regarded as a vermin hotspot by environmental control officers.

A private pest control expert has blamed increasingly mild winters on the explosion of rats in the region.

Reports of rat spottings in Ilkley is still high and one councillor has speculated that major sewer works carried out around three years ago in Ben Rhydding could have been responsible for rats invading the town.

Councillor Anne Hawkesworth (Con - Ilkely) who is environment chief at City Hall, said rats may have infiltrated the town during the

opening up of sewers to complete the work and stayed around the river bank, picking up scraps from

discarded take-away packaging in the town centre.

When the problem was discussed at City Hall before Christmas, Coun Hawkesworth said Ilkley was still regarded as suffering particularly from rat infestation.

Bradford Council and Yorkshire Water have agreed to have regular meetings to discuss the situation.

Chris Morgan, who runs Pest Control Limited in Batley, said that the number of call outs to contracted businesses in the Bradford area has risen by a quarter.

"A conservative estimate of the rat population of Bradford would be in the region of seven to ten million," said Mr Morgan.

From January to October last year the council received 1,483 reports of rats in the streets - a 20 per cent increase from the previous year.

Coun Hawkesworth also speculated that an alteration in its sewer

baiting strategy by Yorkshire Water could have led to an increase in the rat population. She said that Yorkshire Water had changed from baiting at regular intervals to baiting when there was a

specific need identified.

But a Yorkshire Water spokesman said sewer baiting was continuing. He said the company had baited 4,800 manholes in the district since last April and was baiting another 3,000.