Swansea revealed to be one of the UK cities where residents are most concerned about rats

A 2025 study by Invicta Environmental has found that Swansea is one of the UK cities where people are most concerned about rats.

Being the only Welsh place on the list, Swansea comes in eighth place, even beating major cities like London and Manchester.

The study was completed by calculating the number of searches for “rat control” terms per 100,000 population. At the top came Newcastle upon Tyne, with 246.51 searches per 100,000. To compare, Swansea sit at 191.61 searches, placing it clearly within the top 10.

With the population of Swansea being just under 250,000, that’s almost 500 individual searches over 12 months containing terms such as “rat droppings’ and “how to get rid of rats”.

While Swansea is not at the top of the list, it certainly raises some serious concerns over how rodent infestations are being handled in major cities.

The Cardiff Tab spoke to a recently graduated Civil Engineering student from Swansea University, who stated: “Landlords don’t seem to care about the rats. We’ve tried to get rid of them, but they just won’t leave.”

While Swansea is the second largest Welsh city, the search numbers are minimal compared to the top ranking cities.

Bolton, Middlesborough, Birmingham and Liverpool sit from second to fifth, ranging from 232.95 to 213.37 searches. These numbers indicate the overwhelming struggle with rodent problems – particularly in housing.

Leeds, Plymouth, Swansea, Luton and Manchester then finish off the list, starting at 204.50 and dropping down to 184.56 searches as the list goes on.

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When comparing the worst – Newcastle upon Tyne – and best – Cambridge – cities for rat problems, it was found there was an 81 per cent difference in the number of searches. Cambridge, sitting at 46.38 searches per 100,000, is the UK’s least rat concerned area, according to this research.

Norman Smith, director and owner of Invicta Environmental, commented on the results, stating: “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 […] for rodents.”

Feature Image via Canva and Google Maps