An infestation of rodents is wreaking havoc on the streets of Glasgow, with 100 people left in need of hospital treatment after being attacked.
The Scottish city has seen a surge in the number of rats spotted on its streets in the last five years, with reports to local authorities rising by 45% according to Freedom of Information data.
Chris Mitchell, GMB union convenor for refuse and cleaning in Glasgow, told GB News that “an emergency” or “epidemic” should be declared, suggesting that the rat population is only continuing to grow.”
He suggested that the acceleration in reports and incidents related to vermin in the city was linked to a decrease in bin collection frequency.
“The rats are having one big massive party…and the rest of us are suffering for it,” Mr Mitchell said.
He added that the problem risked turning the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which will be held in Glasgow next summer, into a literal “rat race” if nothing is done to tackle the issue now.
FOI data obtained by Glasgow Live showed that the city’s rat population grew from 6,180 to 8,959 between 2019 and 2023.
It also showed that the NHS had dealt with 100 cases of rat attack-related injuries in the same period.
Glasgow City Council has previously described rat infestations as an “unfortunate fact of life” in response to concerns.
“It’s believed the COVID lockdown prompted a significant change in behaviour, with rats moving into more residential areas where they have become more visible,” a spokesperson told Glasgow Live in October.
“There are other environmental factors that may contribute to these figures such as milder winters that allow rats to survive for longer and older infrastructure that can allow easier access for pests,” they added.
But locals including David Richardson think the problem is primarily linked to reduced bin collection services. The Glaswegian, who hasn’t had his bin taken away since mid-December, said: “I have seen multiple big rats, about a foot long as well.”
“There was a large one that got stuck in a hole in the bin. I had to cover it in oil and shove it through while wearing a rubber glove just to get it out because I didn’t want to kill it,” he told SWNS.
“That shouldn’t be down to me to deal with, it isn’t my job. It could be dangerous if it bites anyone.”
Glasgow City Council blamed Christmas bank holidays for the delayed pick-up on Mr Richardson’s road.
“The four public holidays over Christmas and New Year do have an impact on the delivery of waste services at this time of year,” a spokesperson said.
They added: “The approach we have taken this year is to focus on clearing shared bin courts and bin stores for flatted properties as quickly as possible to try and minimise the overall impact of the loss of service as much as we can.”
