THE Vale of Glamorgan Council was called out to deal with hundreds of rodent infestations last year, new figures show.

The British Pest Control Association said pest management is vital to maintaining people's health and wellbeing, but the high cost of services often leads to ineffective DIY methods.

Freedom of information requests by Direct Line Home Insurance show the Vale council tackled 688 rodent infestations in 2022, up from 683 the year before.

However, it was down from 778 infestations recorded in 2020.

Some councils offer free pest control services to residents while most charge for the services.

In the UK, a total of 225,400 rodent infestations were dealt with in 2022 by the 181 local authorities which provided data, the equivalent of 618 per day.

Swansea Council dealt with most rodents last year with 16,800 infestations tackled. It was followed by Southwark Council (16,700) and Birmingham City Council (12,700).

A Local Government Association spokesperson said councils run pest control services at a cheaper rate for people on low incomes, despite it not being a statutory duty.

Additional reporting by Sonja Tutty, data reporter for the Radar news service.