RATS can be found everywhere in the world but some areas attract rodents far more than others – especially in Halton.

Data from a Freedom of Information request reveals that Halton Council  responded to 1461 call outs for rat treatments at domestic properties, with some wards needing a visit from pest control far more than others.

The FOI data was split by ward and reveals the worst affected area had 10 times more call outs for rat treatment than the least affected area.

The data includes when pest control was called out for rats in and outside domestic properties.

Using these statistics, we have been able to work out where the rat capital of Halton was for 2017.

So where in Runcorn and Widnes  is the issue of rats most prevalent and which wards has the council had to visit most regularly to get rid of them?

Here are the results in reverse order.

19th – Norton South 

Norton South in Runcorn comes in a favoured last place when it comes to rat call outs in 2017, with only 14 visits to homes from pest control throughout the year.

However its coveted last place may not quite stand the test of time- there’s already been 16 call outs for rat treatment this year alone.

18th -Windmill Hill 

Windmill Hill, which lies beside Norton South  in Runcorn doesn’t fare too badly either and only saw 21 rat treatments  in 2017.

Joint 17th  Hale and Halton Lea 

The affluent village of Hale is the third least rat infested ward and faced a modest 27 rat treatments throughout the year.

The coveted position is shared by Halton Lea in Runcorn, where only 27 visits where made by pest control within the ward.

However in Halton Lea that number has already been exceeded this year alone- with 30 call outs in 2018 to date.

16th – Beechwood

Runcorn continues to dominate the bottom end of the rat league table. Beechwood is not far behind Hale and Halton Lea and saw 29 call outs for rat treatments last year.

15th- Daresbury 

Daresbury, known famously as the birthplace of Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll, comes in a respectable 15th place with 35 rat treatments in the ward last year.

14th – Norton North 

The data starts to jump up now with Norton North in Runcorn needing 45 rat treatments.  It is still a relatively low number  compared to those at the top of the chart.

13th – Grange

Grange, also in Runcorn, comes in next with 50 calls to the council for rat treatment in 2017.

However residents might be more worried to know that this number has almost been reached in the last six months alone, with 47 call outs between January and June this year.

12th – Heath 

Heath saw  54 rat treatments at domestic properties last year,  allowing  Runcorn to remain in a favourable position when it comes to rat infestations compared to neighbouring Widnes.

Joint 11th – Riverside and Halton Brook 

Finally a break for Widnes as Riverside comes in 12th with 64 rat treatments in 2017.

Halton Brook, not far from Norton South which had 14 visits for rat treatment, comes in joint position with Riverside and also had 64 call outs for rat infestations.

10th – Broadheath

Broadheath in Widnes comes in 10th with 70 calls to pest control, narrowly remaining  in the bottom half of the rat league table.

9th – Halton Castle 

Back in Runcorn Halton Castle comes in 11th place with 71 visits from the council for rat treatments.

8th – Halton View 

Halton View in Widnes doesn’t fall too far behind its Runcorn counterpart and had 72 rat treatments in 2017.

7th – Mersey 

One of the few Runcorn wards that falls within the top half of the rat league, Mersey had 79 call outs for rat treatments last year.

6th – Birchfield 

There’s quite a big jump here as we head straight into the 90s. Birchfield in Widnes had 92 treatments for rat infestations at domestic properties last year.

5th –  Hough Green 

Not far above Birchfield, Hough Green in Widnes had 94 visits from the council for rat problems.

4th – Appleton 

By far the biggest jump yet as we head into the triple digits, Appleton, in Widnes, had 118 visits from pest control for rat infestations in 2018.

3rd – Kingsway

Kingsway is in the top three most rat infested wards and had 122 call outs for rat treatment  in 2017.

2nd – Ditton 

Ditton, in the Halebank area of Widnes where residents have reported frequent fly-tipping problems, has been revealed as the second most rat-infested area of Halton.

During 2017, the council responded to a whopping 131 call outs for rat treatment in the ward.

1st  Farnworth 

And finally, Farnworth in Widnes can be revealed as the rat capital of the borough, with a staggering 140 call outs for rat treatment in 2017 – more than 10 times the number needed in Norton South, the least affected ward.

Fortunately for Farnworth residents, Halton is one of the few local authorities that don’t charge residents for rat treatment.