London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Estate 'overrun' by monster rats 'the size of cats' in Manchester

Estate 'overrun' by monster rats 'the size of cats' in Manchester

Residents of a housing estate say they are struggling to deal with a rodent infestation so bad they see dead rats on the street while they walk around.

They claim some of the rats are so big they are the size of small cats.

Pictures show some of the rats in Hattersley, Tameside, Manchester.

Residents say they have contacted Tameside council about the infestation and were told they needed to ring pest control experts – and pay £80 each time.

Mum-of-two Becci, who has lived in Hattersley for three years, says she has contacted pest control around three times in that period.

She says the rodents continue to return to her home every time, and that the problem is causing her countless sleepless nights.



Massive rats take over Manchester estate

‘The whole estate is just absolutely overrun by rats now,’ she said.

‘When I first moved here there was one living under my floorboards, but now there are more of them. I spoke to my neighbour and she said it’s the same in her house.

‘Recently, it seems to have become a problem for everyone living here.’

Becci says she has had to call pest control several times and has laid traps and poison in her garden, but nothing seems to be working.

‘It is pointless us doing one thing because nothing else is being done and it just becomes a vicious cycle,’ she added.

‘When I moved in, I had sentimental items in my attic and they have all been ruined by the rats.

‘I am worried because they can chew through things like wires which is obviously a fire hazard. I have a dog as well so I worry about what he might catch from them.’

Becci says the infestation has become so bad that she’s scared to open her back door as she fears letting more rodents inside her house.


One of the rats which was caught


‘You can hear them squealing and running about at night, it’s awful. We are all losing sleep over it,’ she said.

Hundreds of residents have taken to the Hattersley Community Facebook group to share their own experiences.

One woman said she counted eight rats in her garden. Another said she spotted several in the bushes in the Tesco car park.

Dylan Longmate runs the local Facebook group. He said he first noticed the issue at the beginning of lockdown in March.

‘I noticed something rustling in my garden and when I went out I found several rats,’ he said.

‘I posted about it on the Facebook group and within an hour over 100 people commented saying it had been an absolute nightmare for them.

‘I told people to ring the council which is what I did and they told me they couldn’t do pest control for the whole estate and if we wanted them to come out we would have to pay ourselves.

‘But people can’t afford to keep paying £80 each time.’

Dylan says the rats are scattered across the entire estate and that it has become a major problem for everyone living there.

‘You can be walking down the street and the next thing you see a rat running down the road. It is absolutely awful,’ he said.

‘Some of these rats are the size of small cats. They could be carrying all kinds of infections and diseases which can then be passed on to residents and their pets.

‘I think there needs to be a major pest control intervention of the whole estate. We need to do something big to get rid of them.’

A Tameside Council spokesman said:

A Tameside Council spokesperson said: ‘We have received only two complaints on this issue but have been working hard to eradicate the problem on the estate, including carrying out a sewer baiting programme.

‘We are putting together a full on the ground response following the concerns being raised and will do whatever it take to resolve the problem.

‘If residents have any individual concerns they can contact our call centre on 0161 342 8355 to arrange a survey.

‘We need the local community to work with us on tackling this by ensuring their waste is disposed of responsibly, to help eradicate the problem. We have teams out every day clearing and investigating fly tipping and taking enforcement action. Fly tipping is illegal and can be hazardous, as well as it being extremely expensive for the council, on limited resources, to clear waste dumped by others.’

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
×