‘Cat-sized’ rat found in Teesside town puts focus on pest control cuts

Rodent said to be 22in (56cm) long from nose to tail found in Normanby, where rat problem is said to be worsening

Cuts to council pest control services are being blamed for a town’s rodent problem, which includes the discovery of a supersize rat said to be 22in (56cm) from nose to tail.

The giant rat, about the length of the carry-on luggage people might be wheeling on to a flight – or, if not on holiday, a desktop monitor – was found inside a person’s home in Normanby, Teesside.