More than 400 callouts were made by the council last year, figures have revealed.

Despite many councils making huge efforts to reduce the problem, many residents of Greater Manchester are still plagued by the pesky vermin in and around their homes.

Rat problems hit some areas worse than others – which is why the Local Democracy Reporting Service has created the "Greater Manchester Rat League for 2022".

After submitting Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to each borough council, data has revealed the worst offenders in the region for rat problems last year.

Authorities record the data in different ways so the statistics have been broken down by ward, postcode and area – with some clarifying if the reports came from inside or outside the house (external or internal callouts).

It is important to note that some areas are bigger and also have more densely populated communities, which may affect the figures. 

The data shows that there were more reports from inside the home than outside. Wigan had the most callouts, but claim that this was due to their three visit approach tripled their figures.

In Oldham, 431 callouts were made.

Despite being on the lower end of this list, the council says the problem has worsened in the last few years.

They offer a helpline to report these issues and outlined what they do to support residents with vermin.

Cllr Hannah Roberts, cabinet member for neighbourhoods at the council, said: “Rats are a common problem across the region and nationally and the problem has worsened over the last few years.

"We know how important this issue is to residents, and as part of our latest budget proposals, we are looking at what more we can do to help residents.

“In the meantime, if you have a pest/vermin problem, please contact our Pest Control Service on 0161 770 2244 as it is very difficult to get rid of rats without professional help. Our current treatment involves up to two visits in a four-week period, although an additional treatment may be required depending on the severity of the infestation.”

Breakdown of data by postcode:

OL1

Internal callouts: 16

External callouts: 7

OL2

Internal callouts: 68

External callouts: 11

OL3

Internal callouts: 14

External callouts: 4

OL4

Internal callouts: 80

External callouts: 6

OL8 

Internal callouts: 79

External callouts: 15

OL9

Internal callouts: 72

External callouts: 11

M35

Internal callouts: 44

External callouts: 4

Here is the rat callouts in 2022 league table for each of the 10 Greater Manchester borough:

Wigan – 3,605

Manchester – 2,407

Salford – 1,000

Stockport – 832

Rochdale – 771

Bury – 640

Bolton – 600

Oldham – 431

Trafford – 363

Tameside – 286

For each borough there is a breakdown of data per ward/area as well as each individual council’s response to the numbers revealed by the FOI.

Not every council responded and each gave their own verdict on how they deal with vermin.