- 0191 7166647
- info@pest-shield.co.uk
- Pest Shield North East Ltd Unit 18 Wilden Road Pattinson Industrial Estate Washington NE38 8QB
I
If you’ve seen a rat, heard scratching beneath your floorboards, or discovered droppings around your property, it’s important to act quickly.
Rats are highly adaptable animals capable of squeezing through surprisingly small gaps, climbing vertical surfaces and exploiting defects in buildings to gain access. Once inside, they breed rapidly and can cause significant damage to property while posing serious health risks.
At Pest Shield, we investigate hundreds of rat infestations across Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham and the wider North East every year. One thing remains consistent – the earlier an infestation is identified, the easier it is to resolve.
Rats don’t enter properties by accident.
They’re looking for three things:
Modern homes provide all three, particularly during the colder months when external food sources become scarce.
During our inspections, the most common points of ingress include:
Finding and eliminating these access points is often just as important as removing the rats themselves.
Most customers notice the evidence long before they ever see a rat.
Fresh rat droppings are dark, shiny and typically around 15–20 mm long with tapered ends. Rats can produce dozens of droppings each day, often leaving them along walls, beneath kitchen units, inside lofts or beneath suspended timber floors.
Rats are usually most active after dark.
Scratching, gnawing or scurrying sounds beneath floorboards, inside cavity walls or above ceilings often indicate rodents moving between nesting areas and food sources.
Unlike many pests, rats must continually gnaw to prevent their incisor teeth becoming overgrown.
We’ve found rats chewing through:
Gnaw damage is often one of the clearest indicators of long-term activity.
Rats frequently excavate burrows beneath:
Fresh spoil around the entrance often indicates an active burrow.
As rats repeatedly follow the same routes, the oils within their fur leave dark smear marks along walls, pipes and structural timbers.
These marks often become visible in long-standing infestations.
Tracking dust or naturally dusty surfaces frequently reveal rat footprints and tail marks.
During complex investigations, Pest Shield regularly uses tracking dust to confirm active ingress points before carrying out permanent proofing works.
Established infestations often produce a strong, musky smell.
Where rats die within wall cavities or beneath floors, decomposition can create persistent unpleasant odours until the carcass is removed.
Rats contaminate food, damage buildings and can spread disease through their urine and droppings.
They are also capable of causing significant structural damage by gnawing through insulation, plastic pipework and electrical cables, increasing the risk of costly repairs and, in some cases, fire.
Because rats breed quickly, a relatively small problem can become a major infestation if left untreated.
Successful rat control isn’t simply about reducing rodent numbers.
Our inspections focus on identifying:
By addressing the source of the infestation rather than simply treating the symptoms, long-term control becomes far more achievable.
If you’ve noticed scratching noises, droppings, burrows or other signs of rat activity, don’t ignore them.
Pest Shield provides professional, inspection-led rat control across Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham and the wider North East. We’ll identify the source of the infestation, recommend the most appropriate treatment and advise on any proofing works needed to help prevent future problems.