Rat & Rodent Control Across Reading & Berkshire
Complete rat and mouse removal for homes, rental properties, and commercial premises. Carried out by BPCA and NPTA certified technicians with same-day response, root-cause entry identification, and guaranteed eradication.
Key Signs You Have Rats in Your Property
Rats are nocturnal and elusive. Recognising these distinctive warning signs early helps prevent extensive structural damage and rapid breeding.
Dark, Capsule-Shaped Droppings
Brown rat droppings are 12–20mm long with blunt, tapered ends (significantly larger than mouse droppings). Often found grouped along skirting boards, under kitchen units, in airing cupboards, and in loft insulation.
Scratching & Scurrying at Night
Loud scratching, scuttling, or gnawing sounds coming from inside cavity walls, subfloor timbers, or ceiling spaces after dark when rodents travel between nesting sites and food sources.
Chewed Cables & Woodwork
Rats have continuously growing incisors and must constantly gnaw hard materials. Noticeable chew marks on timber joists, plastic water pipes, electrical cabling, and stored food packaging.
Greasy Smear & Rub Marks
Rats repeatedly use the exact same travel pathways along walls and skirting boards. Their coats deposit dark, greasy, oily smear marks where they repeatedly squeeze past corners or pipe penetrations.
Burrows & Soil Piles Outside
Round external burrow holes (60–90mm wide) around foundation walls, timber decking, shed bases, compost bins, or paving slabs, frequently with freshly excavated soil spread outside the entrance.
Strong Musky, Ammonia Odour
A distinctive stale, pungent ammonia-like smell in enclosed voids, under kitchen units, or inside lofts caused by rodent urine trails marking territory and navigating dark runways.
What Our Typical Rodent Service Includes
Every rodent infestation is unique to the property architecture. Rather than simply scattering poison, our approach combines forensic diagnostic surveys, child-safe treatments, and permanent structural exclusion:
Diagnostic Property Survey
A comprehensive inspection of lofts, subfloors, kitchen cavities, perimeter brickwork, and drainage chambers to trace exact active runs and ingress points.
Targeted Tamper-Proof Baiting
Placement of professional-grade rodenticides or mechanical traps inside locked, tamper-resistant stations positioned exclusively where children and pets cannot access them.
Scheduled Follow-Up Visits
Follow-up visits while activity persists to inspect bait consumption, evaluate population reduction, replenish formulations, and adjust tactical placement.
Internal Proofing & Exclusion
Sealing small internal service penetrations under sinks and behind kickboards, plus fitting stainless rat valves in outdoor drainage chambers where ingress originates.
Rats Coming Up From the Drains?
Over 70% of persistent domestic rat problems in Reading and Berkshire originate directly from the underground sewerage network. Damaged drain junctions, redundant pipework, or uncapped soil stacks provide rats with an open motorway straight into your home's cavity walls.
Why Traditional Bait Fails Drain Rats
If rats enter via the sewer system, killing the current visitors with bait alone only leaves the door wide open for the next colony to follow the scent trail weeks later.
Why Rats Must Be Dealt With Quickly
A single pair of brown rats can produce dozens of offspring in months.
Disease Transmission
Rats carry dangerous pathogens including Leptospirosis (Weil's disease), Salmonella, Listeria, and Murine typhus spread through their urine, fur, and droppings.
Fire & Flood Hazards
Continuous gnawing exposes live electrical wiring inside lofts and walls—a documented cause of domestic structural fires—and punctures flexible plastic plumbing.
Rapid Reproduction
Female rats can produce up to 6 litters a year, each containing 6–10 pups. Young reach sexual maturity in just 5 weeks, causing populations to explode rapidly.
Rat Control for Businesses & Landlords
We provide contracted monitoring, emergency callouts, and clearance documentation for letting agents, HMO landlords, hospitality venues, food retail, and industrial warehouses across Berkshire and Hampshire.
EHO & Hygiene Standards
Keep your hygiene rating protected. We provide routine inspection logbooks, baiting station site maps, and written treatment reports following every single visit.
99.9% Antibacterial Sanitisation Fogging
After rodent clearance, harmful bacteria, urine crystals, and viruses remain embedded in cavities, carpets, and lofts. Our specialised ULV fogging eliminates 99.9% of microbes within 15 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions About Rat Control
Answers to common questions from homeowners and landlords across Reading and Berkshire.
How quickly can you get rid of rats?
Most rat treatments involve up to three targeted visits over a few weeks, depending on the scale of activity and how the rodents entered. Scratching and visible sightings typically decrease significantly within days of the initial setup, and we continue follow-up visits to monitor bait intake until full clearance is achieved.
Is rat bait and rodenticide safe for my children and pets?
Yes. All professional rodenticides and mechanical traps are housed exclusively inside heavy-duty, tamper-resistant lockable bait boxes. These are strategically positioned in concealed locations—such as loft voids, behind kickboards, or secure outdoor cavities—where children and domestic pets cannot reach or open them.
Will the rats return once treatment finishes?
Rats only return if ingress routes remain accessible. This is why every Woodrush visit combines eradication with root-cause entry identification. We identify external breaches, seal small internal service penetrations as part of the service, and fit permanent stainless steel rat non-return valves in drain inspection chambers where sewer ingress is identified.
How do rats get into my house in the first place?
Brown rats commonly enter through compromised subterranean sewer pipework, redundant junction boxes, unmeshed air bricks, or gaps as narrow as 15mm around gas, water, or electrical service pipes entering external brickwork.
Does the local council deal with rats?
Some local councils offer a pest control service while others do not, often with significant waiting times, restricted visit counts, and no drain valve or proofing capabilities. Woodrush provides rapid same-day or next-day response across Reading, Berkshire, and Hampshire with guaranteed eradication.
Why do rats need dealing with immediately?
Rats pose significant health and fire hazards. They carry dangerous pathogens including Leptospirosis (Weil's disease), Salmonella, and Listeria through their urine and fur. Furthermore, their continuous gnawing on electrical wiring inside cavity walls and lofts represents a documented domestic fire risk.
Suspect You Have Rats? Speak to Grant Today.
Prompt diagnosis prevents costly electrical and structural damage. Call directly for free advice or book your diagnostic property inspection online.
