'Influx of rat colonies' plaguing cars in cold weather

A car repair workshop has seen an "influx" of customers bringing in vehicles infested by rats.

New Again in Chelmsford, Essex, said it has taken in five contaminated cars in a fortnight, handled further calls, and its website page about rats was getting 10 times more visits.

Owner Gary Wray, 60, who got in touch via Your Voice, said the rats were often long gone by the time the cars roll in, but their presence was marked by a trail of toxic excrement and nibbled wires under the bonnet.

Sam Pilgrim, from the Chelmsford branch of the East of England Pest Control, said rodents seek leftover food and warmth now that the weather is turning colder.

He added that there is a genuine concern - albeit an unlikely one - of contracting serious illnesses from fumes coming off the rodents' faeces and urine through ventilation systems.

This included Leptospirosis, which can cause blindness, and Hantavirus, which can be life-threatening. The UK Health Security Agency said the risk in the UK was very low.

Wray said: "We just had an influx of vehicles with them in the cars.

"We've been doing it for many, many years; it usually happens at this time of year, particularly when the weather's changing, but it seems to be that there's a lot more this year."

Wray advised motorists to not keep food in their cars or park near bins.

He said cars need "decontaminating properly" after an incident, rather than just cleaning them.

He explained that rats seek "familiarity" and if you have been targeted once, you are likely to be targeted again.

Changing where you park or even parking a different way round can prevent future incidents, he added.

Pilgrim said now that fields have been cultivated, rats were "all coming into towns and cities".

"It's warmer, there's more food, so that engine bay will provide shelter and harbourage for them - it's just a nice place for them to go," he added.

He told BBC Essex presenter Ben Fryer that prevention is a group effort: "Pest control is basically 80% housekeeping, and that's not just your house; it's your driveway, your garden, the whole street.

"If that's kept all clean and tidy, you're preventing [infestations]."

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