Spending cuts could lead to an ‘explosion’ in the UK’s pest population, according to warnings from the British Pest Control Association.
With figures showing the number of councils who provide a free pest service has fallen by 26% in the past four years, the trade body is warning this could lead to an increase in pests such as rats and bedbugs.
Simon Forrester, chief executive of the British Pest Control Association, said the cuts could pose a ‘big risk’ to public health.
He said: ‘A growing number of authorities who once provided pest control free of charge have either introduced charges or done away with their service altogether in a bid to balance the books.
‘That has already had a significant impact on the pest population because numbers are higher than ever and, if cuts continue, the problem is likely to get much worse.’
The figures show local authorities carried out 679,110 pest treatments in 2010/11, but only 501,595 in 2013/14. The number of councils offering a pest control service also declined by 4% last year alone.
