A pest controller was horrified to find a 22-inch sewer rat nesting in a country home in a Yorkshire village.
The potentially record-breaking rodent is the same size as a typical American badger with witnesses saying it was more similar to a small dog.
Images of the massive rat – discovered recently in a family home in Normanby in Redcar and Cleveland – quickly went viral.
Two of the borough’s Conservative councillors called for action to be taken to contain the area’s ‘overflowing’ rodent population.
David Taylor and Stephen Martin, both Tory councillors, criticised the Labour-run Redcar and Cleveland Council and called for a full vermin study to be carried out.
In aFacebook post, Mr Taylor described public bins in parts of the Eston and Whale Hill area as ‘overflowing’ with rats.
He wrote: ‘It’s almost the size of a small cat. And it’s not a one-off.
‘The longer this is ignored, the worse it will get. We need action — not just advice.’
The rodent has been likened to a ‘sewer rat’, and while it is unknown how it accessed the property, rats had been reported in the nearby area.
Overgrown vegetation on public land can also provide the animals with shelter, they added.
Mr Taylor said: ‘The longer this is ignored, the worse it will get. It is a growing problem.’
He said the rat caught was ‘massive’, and compared it to a small cat or dog.
Pest controllers told him that only a typical sewer rat could get that big.
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He said a rat cull would ‘cost a fortune’, but the population was a health risk as rats can carry diseases.
‘They’ll keep multiplying and unless there is a big cull in the area, people will keep experiencing this,’ he said.
A spokeswoman for the council said: ‘The council has a dedicated pest control officer who manages pest issues on council-owned land.
‘While we no longer provide a wider pest control service, we do offer advice to residents where possible.
‘The council continues to work with Beyond Housing, Northumbrian Water and other partners to address complex issues and explore potential solutions.
‘There is also helpful guidance and preventative measures on our website to support people in dealing with pests.’
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