By Luke Warren

Income generated by Brighton and Hove City Council through its pest-control services has risen by 279 per cent over the last six years.

The council’s pest-control income shot up from £17,265.79 to £35,708.83 between 2009/10 and 2010/11.

It jumped by 25 per cent to £44,960.75 in 2011/12, and a further 21 per cent to £54,444.86 in the nine months from April to December 2012.

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokesperson said: “The increase is a result of the introduction of new charges for some pest-control treatments such as rats and mice and an increase in existing charges.”

Richard Moseley, from the British Pest Control Association, said: “The BPCA is aware that due to spending cuts being applied to local authorities, departments such as pest control must be more competitive and justify their budgets to guarantee their survival.”

Rats are the most prolific pests in Brighton and Hove, having prompted 7,248 initial treatments since 2007/8, followed by mice, requiring 1,757, and wasps, needing 849.

Mr Moseley said: “Rodents such as rats and mice are known as ‘commensal’ pests – they are closely associated with man’s actions.

“They will make use of any opportunity created by people such as poorly-controlled waste or gaps in buildings that are not secured against pests.

“Rats also survive in sewers which offer them protection, access to food and routes of entry into large and varied locations.”

Fly tipping

Jo Taylforth, of Lansdowne Square, Hove, described her problems with rats caused by drains, rubbish being left out in the street, and fly tipping.

Miss Taylforth said: “A man from the council came in a van and placed a box trap in the infested area and returned two weeks later to check it.

“Each box cost £10, but I’m not really sure we should have to pay at all, as we pay council tax.

"Rubbish and fly tipping are the council’s responsibility, so why should we pay for the poor execution of those responsibilities, which leads to the vermin problem in the first place?”