More than 350 rat callouts were made by Trafford Council last year, figures have revealed.

Despite many councils making huge efforts to reduce the problem, many residents of Greater Manchester are still plagued by the pesky vermin in and around their homes.

Rat problems hit some areas worse than others – which is why the Local Democracy Reporting Service has created the "Greater Manchester Rat League for 2022".

After submitting Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to each borough council, data has revealed the worst offenders in the region for rat problems last year.

Authorities record the data in different ways so the statistics have been broken down by ward, postcode and area – with some clarifying if the reports came from inside or outside the house (external or internal callouts).

It is important to note that some areas are bigger and also have more densely populated communities, which may affect the figures. 

The data shows that there were more reports from inside the home than outside. Wigan had the most callouts, but claim that this was due to their three visit approach tripled their figures.

In Trafford, 363 council callouts were reported.

Sitting near the bottom of the table is Trafford with very little in the way of callouts in each ward. Urmston was the worst offender by only a fine margin.

A spokesperson for the council said: “Trafford Council provides a pest control service which allows residents to access low-cost professional treatment for rats and mice.

"Alongside this we also investigate reports of rats and mice in public and semi-public areas, requiring land-owners to demonstrate that they have an adequate programme of pest control.

“We also undertake an annual programme of sewer-baiting in partnership with United Utilities, which helps to suppress the rat population.”

Breakdown of data by ward

Undisclosed location

Total callouts: 61

Altrincham                    

Internal callouts: 14

External callouts: 12

Ashton Upon Mersey            

Internal callouts: 6

External callouts: 5

Bowdon                        

Internal callouts: 20

External callouts: 6

Broadheath                    

Internal callouts: 8

External callouts: 3

Brooklands                    

Internal callouts: 6

External callouts: 3

Bucklow St Martins            

Internal callouts: 14

External callouts: 2

Clifford                      

Internal callouts: 10

External callouts: 6

Davyhulme East                

Internal callouts: 6

External callouts: 7

Davyhulme West      

Internal callouts: 5    

Flixton                       

Internal callouts: 12

Unrecorded: 1

Gorse Hill                    

Internal callouts: 13

External callouts: 4

Hale                          

Internal callouts: 20

External callouts: 7

Hale Barns                    

Internal callouts: 8

External callouts: 3

Hale Central                  

External callouts: 1

Longford                      

Internal callouts: 19

External callouts: 10

Unrecorded: 1

Priory                        

Internal callouts: 8

External callouts: 7

Sale Moor                     

Internal callouts: 10

External callouts: 1

St Mary’s                     

Internal callouts: 4

External callouts: 3

Stretford                     

Internal callouts: 8

External callouts: 4

Timperley                     

Internal callouts: 1

External callouts: 1

Urmston                       

Internal callouts: 15

External callouts: 11

Village                       

Internal callouts: 10

External callouts: 5

Here is the rat callouts in 2022 league table for each of the 10 Greater Manchester borough:

Wigan – 3,605

Manchester – 2,407

Salford – 1,000

Stockport – 832

Rochdale – 771

Bury – 640

Bolton – 600

Oldham – 431

Trafford – 363

Tameside – 286

For each borough there is a breakdown of data per ward/area as well as each individual council’s response to the numbers revealed by the FOI.

Not every council responded and each gave their own verdict on how they deal with vermin.