Pest control in Glasgow dealt with more than 10,000 cases of mice and rats in the last year.

The city had the fifth highest call out rate for rodents in the UK according to information obtained by an insurance company.

Direct Line contacted all councils in the UK and found there had been 225,430 rodent infestations reported in 2022, equivalent to 618 per day.

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In Glasgow, there were 10,323 reports of mice and rats in 2022 up from 7894 the year before.

Only Swansea, Southwark, Birmingham and Liverpool had higher numbers than Glasgow.

In Glasgow, official figures show around 3000 of the reports were for mice, which the council said accounts for most of the increase.

The rise in reports of mice has been five-fold from 489 in 2021 to 2936 in 2022.

In 2019 there were 10,392 reports of rats and mice in Glasgow.

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Despite the big jump overall the number of mice reports is still well below pre-covid figures – 4022 in 2019; 2936 in in 2022.

The breakdown of the rodent reports was 2936 mice in 2022.

Sightings of rats in living areas were 1537 and rats spotted outside totalled 5850 reports.

A spokesman for the council said: “Glasgow City Council provides a free pest control service for residents to deal with reports of rats or mice.

“Reports from Glasgow residents of rats and mice were slightly lower in 2022 than they were in 2019 and we continue to respond quickly to calls for assistance from members of the public.

“Residents have a vital role in restricting the presence of rodents in and around their property.

“Keeping outdoor areas tidy and well maintained will help to prevent rodents from nesting while ensuring food waste is properly contained will also deter rodents, both indoors and outdoors.”

Dan Simson, Head of Direct Line Home Insurance, said: “Mice and rats pose a real risk to the home and people’s health. They take advantage of issues like broken pipes, slipped roof tiles or holes in skirting to gain access to a property, often causing serious damage to the structural integrity of a building or belongings.

“We recommend that anyone with an infestation contact either their local authority or an extermination service to have it taken care of professionally.”