Over one third of councils offer no pest control services, despite having received hundreds of thousands of complaints since 2023, research has found.

According to the latest data from Freedom of Information requests, UK councils received 708,486 pest complaints between 2023 and 2025.

The figures, obtained by Confused.com, revealed that 22% of those who made a report to their council said nothing happened, with 27% confirming that while the local authority took action, the problem persisted.

Over 51% of pest complaints were linked to issues with rats, the research found, with councils having reported 364,806 rat complaints over the three-year period.

Further themes identified in the data were rising bedbug complaints, which have surged by 33% in three years, as well as an increase in cockroach complaints (32% rise), a growing number of fly-tipping incidents (18% rise), and more flies or rodents around bins due to delayed collections.

The research outlined the top 10 councils with the greatest amount of pest complaints in the three-year period, with Glasgow City Council (42,338 in total), Newcastle upon Tyne (26,692 in total), and Liverpool City Council (26,234) scoring highest.

However, it also highlighted that councils have been seen to ‘increasingly step back from providing pest control services’ in this time. For example, 36% of councils do not offer pest control services to residents at all.

Furthermore, 76 local authorities have decreased or eliminated their pest control provision since 2015, while many others charge ‘significant’ prices for treatment.

Matthew Harwood, home insurance expert at Confused.com, said: ‘Our research points to a worrying and growing trend, with pest problems continuing just as many councils scale back their support.

‘When bins aren’t emptied on time, pests don’t take long to move in, and the figures bear this out. Among households with missed or late collections, almost half (45%) have noticed more flies around their bins, and nearly 1 in 5 (19%) have spotted more rodents.’

Mr Harwood advised that residents ensure bins are sealed and kept separate from their homes, as well as emptying food waste frequently, cleaning up spills quickly, and reporting missed collections to their councils immediately. He added that residents can use the company’s Pest Control Checker to determine which local services are available for free.