Revealed: The location with the biggest rat problem in Wales

A new report has highlighted the UK cities most concerned about rats this summer.

And there was one Welsh location that ranked as one of the most rat-infested cities in the UK.

Swansea has been dubbed ‘the most rat riddled city in Wales’, after the research discovered residents battle rat problems the most in Wales.

The study, conducted by pest control company Invicta Environmental, analysed search terms related to rats, such as ‘rat droppings’ and ‘how to get rid of rats.’

According to the findings, rat-related issues are most concerning in Newcastle upon Tyne, with the highest rate of searches at 246.51 per 100,000 population. The northern city topped the list for residents searching for information and solutions to rat problems.

Bolton ranks second among the rat-concerned cities with 232.95 searches per 100,000 population. Middlesbrough, Birmingham, and Liverpool rank third, fourth, and fifth among the most rat-concerned cities, with 224.34, 220.19, and 213.37 searches per 100,000 population, respectively. This suggests a high level of rat concerns in these northern and midland cities.

Leeds has the sixth highest rate of rat-related searches at 204.50 per 100,000 population. Plymouth, Swansea, Luton, and Manchester also rank in the top ten most rat-concerned cities, with 194.48, 191.61, 185.56, and 184.56 searches per 100,000 population, respectively.

Rat search

Cambridge has the lowest level of rat-related searches, at just 46.38 per 100,000 population – which, while still present, is 81% less than that of Newcastle upon Tyne. Some UK residents appear to be less concerned about rats, with Nottingham and Northampton also showing significantly lower levels of rat-related searches at 48.92 and 64.33 per 100,000 population, respectively.

Norman Smith, director and owner of Invicta Environmental, commented on the findings, “The search data reveals significant regional variations in rat concerns across UK cities.

“Cities with older infrastructure and dense housing often face greater challenges with rat infestations, as these environments provide more entry points and harbourage for rodents.

“In fact, Newcastle upon Tyne was found to be the city most concerned about rats, with 246.51 searches per 100,000 residents. This is more than five times the number of searches made in Cambridge, which receives only 46.38 searches per 100,000 residents.”

Methodology

Monthly average search volume data was taken from Google Keyword Planner based on searches over the 12 months between March 2024 and February 2025 to reveal the top rankings with average monthly search volume.

The UK Cities searching the most about rats according to Google were analysed based on searches for: rat droppings, what do rat droppings look like, how to get rid of rat poop, how to get rid of rats, etc.

The combined search volume for each city were calculated, and then used to rank from highest number of average monthly searches to lowest.

The combined and separate template search volume for each term was also calculated and then used to rank the terms from highest number of average monthly searches to lowest.