It’s fair to say that 2020 has thrown some unexpected events at us so far this year and this is only going to add to that list.
Earlier this month, pest controllers warned residents that plagues of rats are finding their way into homes across the country this autumn/winter by sneaking in through people’s toilets and letterboxes, and now it’s been confirmed that Manchester sits in the top 10 of rat-infested cities in the UK.
It’s thought that careless waste habits, vacant shops, and quiet streets have made the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown an ideal habit for the rat, which has lead to a breeding frenzy in Manchester.
Manchester has ranked sixth on the list of “rattiest” places nationwide.
Thanks to a newly-conducted survey of 3,400 callouts for pest controllers in October across the UK, Pest.co.uk has been able to reveal the cities where you are most likely to spot a rat.
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Jenny Rathbone – from Pest Control UK – said: “They say you are only ever 6ft away from a rat – and in Manchester this is quite possibly true,
“Rats can breed like mad, so we get localised infestations, where a breeding pair can create six litters of 6-12 pups a year, creating more breeding pairs and so on, hence why you need to get these problems under control fast”.
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Vincent J Musti / Nat Geo
The cities with the most rat infestation callouts in October were:
Birmingham – 353
Newcastle – 305
Leeds – 266
Liverpool – 251
City of London – 190
Manchester – 187
Sheffield – 155
Cardiff – 139
Bristol – 131
Edinburgh – 120
Jenny continues: “Rats are loving life at the moment, they are being left to breed in vacant shops with abandoned bins – the technicians out on the road have seen nothing like this before”
Rats are known for not needing much to get by, and can easily survive off just food and shelter, but the damage they can cause to buildings when left unchecked can be severe and in the worst cases can lead to fire and flood, so the worry is that with a cold winter and more lockdowns, we will be creating a “perfect storm” of rodent infestations across the UK.
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Jenny concludes: “It’s really important not to leave food scraps around, even compost bins have been known to attract rats in large numbers, a tidy and clean environment helps reduce these problems massively,
“However if you love rats, head to Manchester”.
Brilliant.
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Trailer released for new Netflix drama series starring Michelle Keegan airing in the new year
Emily Sergeant
The first trailer for a new Netflix show starring Michelle Keegan and Joanna Lumley has now been released.
In case you hadn’t heard, the highly-anticipated new crime drama show, which is titled Fool Me Once, is an adaptation of Harlan Coben’s popular novel, and is set to air on the streaming service as soon as 2024 arrives.
But now, the release of the first trailer has proved it looks brilliantly binge-worthy.
How can a dead man appear on a secret camera?
Fool Me Once – a new crime thriller from @HarlanCoben – coming 1 January, starring Michelle Keegan, Adeel Akhtar, Joanna Lumley and Richard Armitage. pic.twitter.com/oSUx44qIyT
The eight-part series follows Manchester-born actress Michelle Keegan’s character, Maya Starn, who is a former special ops pilot struggling with the tragic murder of her husband, Joe, who is played by Richard Armitage.
Detective Sergeant Sami Kierce, who is portrayed by Adeel Akhtar, conducts the investigation into Joe’s death while wrestling with his own hidden truths.
Things start to get interesting though, when she observes via the nanny cam her supposedly deceased husband playing with their baby daughter in her own home.
Meanwhile, Maya’s niece and nephew embark on the journey to seek answers about their own mother’s murder which took place months ago.
But one question remains – could the two mysteries be related?
‘Fool Me Once’ stars Michelle Keegan and is based on a novel by Harlan Coben / Credit: Netflix UK
The first trailer for the show was released by Netflix at the end of last week, and it showcases a star-studded cast with the likes of Dame Joanna Lumley from Absolutely Fabulous, Adeel Akhtar from Sherwood, Emmett J Scanlan from Peaky Blinders, and Dino Fetscher from Paranoid.
The streaming service has unveiled a selection of first look images, showcasing a star-studded cast with the likes of Dame Joanna Lumley from Absolutely Fabulous, Adeel Akhtar from Sherwood, Emmett J Scanlan from Peaky Blinders, and Dino Fetscher from Paranoid.
Filming took place in Yorkshire, where production crews were spotted in the Burdock Way area near the centre of Halifax, but Michelle Keegan was also spotted filming in Manchester city centre back in May.
Fool Me Once will air on Netflix in the UK on Monday 1 January.
Featured Image – GMP
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Timothée Chalamet thinks the sexiest British accent is… Hull?
Clementine Hall
Hollywood A-lister Timothée Chalamet has revealed the British accents he finds sexiest, and the results are unexpected.
The 27-year-old star of Wonka said that a Hull accent is up there as one of his favourites, along with Italian and French.
How does Timothée Chalamet even know about Hull’s existence, never mind know what the accent sounds like?
The star, who rose to astronomical fame back in 2017 with his portrayal of Elio in Call Me By Your Name, and has since starred in blockbusters such as Dune and Little Woman, revealed his favourite access on the current Wonka press tour, The Hoot reports.
Chalamet appeared on LadBible TV talking to Keegan-Michael Key, where they discuss the internet’s biggest debates.
In a segment where they debate the British accent, Chalamet goes on to reveal his top three British accents… and the answers are not what you would expect.
Firstly he admits his favourite is the Hull accent, he says: “I like the Hull accent. Hull is sexy”.
We’ve never thought of the Hull accent as particularly sexy before, but we will absolutely take it.