Watch out, there are rats about

Londonderry's own Pied Piper has 30 years' experience in working with the "varmints" in pest control.

And he hasn't wiped them out yet. Mr Page warned that a "moos in the hoos" might be the least of some people's worries this winter.

Bitter cold is driving the rats and the mice to seek somewhere warm and cosy, with a bit of food worth the picking.

In his working life, Mr Page has rid houses of both rats and mice infestations, using techniques such as smoking out to establish where fracture sewer pipes may lead to a rodent problem.

Mice, as Mr Page pointed out, breed every 17 days.

Rats, he said, have up to seven or eight in a litter. And this year, what with a good summer, the breeding has been hectic and there have been many sightings.

Keep the outside of your house tidy so there is nowhere for them to hide Charlie Page

"There is no doubt about it, rats are more plentiful this year than they have been for a long time," he told the BBC news website.

"It is the severe weather on the way - they sense it and they move in close to heat and easy food sources."

Heavy rain has also washed the rats out of the sewers.

But it is, said Charlie, a time not to panic.

The good people of Londonderry will not have to face losing their children to a fellow in a coat, half of yellow and half of red, who banishes the plague of rats.

Clearing up

Good housekeeping is the answer.

Mr Page said rats were attracted to accumulated rubble and overgrown gardens.

"Keep the outside of your house tidy so there is nowhere for them to hide and check the wastepipes in the house to make sure there are no points of entry," he urged.

Cats, hawks and kestrels will take care of the rest, he explained.

Mr Page said older houses were most vulnerable to rats. He explained that seeing a live rodent was usually an indicator of a wider problem.

People should assume that for every rat they see, there is probably another seven or eight close by.

People who suspect they have an infestation should contact their local council or any pest control company, he said.