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Bedbug callouts soar by 23%

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date08 April 2024
Publication titleHuddersfield Daily Examiner
Meanwhile, local authority pest controllers made 272,122 visits to homes with rat and mice infestations in 2023. This was a drop of just under 1% from 274,605 in 2022 - but still 745 a day

The figures suggest the availability of council-operated pest control services is a postcode lottery, with services across the UK varying wildly.

Just 8% of councils which responded to the FOI request provide pest removal services free of charge, while the majority require residents to pay a fee ranging from £10 to £264.

Among the highest charges are in Southwark in London (£226.98), Kirklees in Yorkshire (£210) and Oxford City Council (£264), Direct Line found.

Some councils, including Shetland, Somerset, and Welwyn Hatfield, offer a reduced fee for those on benefits, while others impose a flat rate regardless of circumstances. The figures show 104 of the 397 councils contacted do not provide a pest control service at all, leaving 26% of Britons to find a private contractor to resolve these issues, the insurer said. These include large local authorities such as Bradford, Middlesbrough and Chichester.

The average cost of providing pest control services is around £150,000 per council, according to information...

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