A DEDICATED “rat-catcher” will be coming to the streets of Basildon to clamp down on a booming rat population in the town.

It will be a “one-man mission” to remove the rodents from parks following a 300 per cent rise in the rat population since the Covid pandemic began.

Council bosses will spend £70,000 a year on the pest control officer.

The move comes after the Echo revealed in December how the rat population in Basildon had grown to more than 400,000 during Covid lockdowns.

There is now thought to be 2.2 rats per person in the town, thanks to empty buildings and quiet streets.

Kevin Blake, an Independent councillor who pushed for the move, said: “It’s getting to the point where the rats are coming up to your hands for food.

“I go to Northlands Park nearly every day, and they’re so visible every time.

“A dog was chasing one the other day, you see them swimming among the birds all the time.

“The officer won’t be going around to people’s homes to deal with infestations, it will be purely for parks.

“We know that’s where the problem is at the moment, they’re looking for food.”

Alongside the so-called rat catcher, an enforcement officer will be clamping down on homeowners who leave rubbish outside their homes.

Mr Blake added: “The second officer will be educating first, then coming down on them like a tonne of bricks.

“These people should know better.

“In some cases bin bags are being left out four days early of collection. They’re then torn apart by the foxes, and then the rats come.
“The rats are everywhere you look.”

Council chiefs previously called on landlords to increase pest control measures in vacant buildings to bring a halt to the booming population.

Pest, a Basildon pest control company, has urged homeowners to block any holes in sheds or lofts, clear unused cupboards, secure all food sources, and leave out rat traps.

This follows a 25 per cent increase in the size of rats which Pest recorded. The move was approved last week.