People in one Merseyside area could soon see more rats in the streets

Residents could be set to see more rats running through the streets of one Merseyside borough thanks to "unprecedented" housebuilding there.

A Knowsley council report revealed that some parts of the borough may see more rodents in their area as building works disturb them - and warns it could lead to alarm in some communities

The statement - which came from a recently published report on pest control in the borough - said although the building work rarely caused an increase in the number of rats, it could cause them to move around above the surface of the ground more.

The report said these works could cause an increase in rat sightings which cause "discomfort and nervousness" for people living nearby.

Builders on a building site (Ben Birchall/PA Wire)

It said: "Extensive (and unprecedented) development works are underway across the borough, with more planned in the future. It is common for works of this scale to displace existing harbourage of vermin resulting in an increase in the number of reported sightings of vermin across the community.

"Construction sites are some of the most vulnerable places for attracting new pests and become breeding grounds for rats and mice due to the standing water and the poor hygiene practices of the workers – discarding unwanted food, litter and uncontained waste.

"As a result the number of complaints in and around a development area will increase – this is not always supported by actual new infestations but can generate discomfort and nervousness in the local community."

The council said that although it sometimes sent pest control teams out to address these concerns, the mounting numbers of construction sites in the borough meant the costs of this could increase significantly.

The report therefore warned it may be necessary to review whether developers need to contribute more towards combating these call outs.

It also pinpointed other areas that could be used to help control pests in the borough, including ensuring social landlords fix their properties properly and trying to establish sewer baiting in the borough to reduce the number of rats.