Pest controllers are issuing warnings that large rats are currently sneaking their way into UK homes through toilets.
In an event that seems to be happening every year at this point, rats, which are in some cases described as being “as big as cats”, are apparently taking the shocking and somewhat unconventional method to escape the harsh conditions outside and gain entry to our homes by climbing through toilets.
As they can apparently tread water for days, experts are now warning people to rat-proof their homes to ward off the rodents.
According to pest control experts, the frequency of “monster rodents” is thought to have risen as of late due to councils avoiding collecting domestic waste every week to reduce costs and meet government recycling quotas, and due to house extensions during the pandemic.
It’s also thought that because more people are now working from home, rats don’t have as much food to eat in city centres, and so are coming into homes instead.
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The frequency of “monster rodents” is thought to have risen as of late / Credit: Pxfuel
Pest control expert Terry Walker – who runs TP Pest Control Services – explained that: “Bins used to be collected every week, and now it’s once a fortnight [so] when it comes to them being collected, the rats have already had their fill.
“Years ago, I would have been excited to catch a 19-inch rat, but now I catch them regularly [and] I’m sure my record is going to be broken soon.
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“It’s only a matter of time.”
Echoing what Mr Walker said, fellow pest control expert Ian Helands from Pests Be Gone told The Daily Star that “no one is safe” from a rodent visit during the winter, adding: “I have had more call-outs than ever from homeowners who have heard a noise, looked down into their toilet only to find a giant rat.
“Rats are excellent swimmers with bendy bones, can squeeze into the smallest of spaces, hold their breath for three minutes, tread water for three days… and are cunning and getting bolder and bolder.”
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“Basically, if they want to get into your home, they will,” he added.
Some of the rodents pest controllers are reporting seeing are “the size of cats” / Credit: Vincent J Musti / Nat Geo
Both experts associated the problem with the pandemic.
Since COVID began, the Pests Be Gone boss claimed there has been a 25% increase in rat reports, and some of the rodents he has seen were “the size of cats”.
Manchester’s popular board game festival returns this month with hundreds of games to play
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s popular board came festival is set to return later this month, with hundreds of games free to play.
Manchester Board Game Festival is set to kick off 2026 in style, returning for the first festival of the year with a full weekend of board games, role-playing games, indie traders, and community-led fun in the heart of the city.
The festival features a huge board game library, giving fans access to hundreds of games to try out across the weekend – with ‘Library Bees’ on-hand to help people find games, learn the rules, or jump into sessions with other players.
There’ll also be bookable sessions, like RPGs and Blood on The Clocktower, and seminars to take part in over the three-day event.
Manchester’s popular board game festival returns this month with hundreds of games to play / Credit: MBGF (via Facebook)
As well as gaming, visitors can browse the festival’s popular Geek Fayre too, open on the Saturday and Sunday of the event, which showcases indie traders, artists, and tabletop creators from across the UK. From games and accessories, to artwork and geeky gifts, it’s a chance to support small businesses all while discovering something new.
Running from Friday 27 February through to Sunday 1 March, this opening weekend festival marks the start of five events planned throughout 2026.
Events are designed to bring together players of all experience levels for three days of tabletop gaming and social play.
“There’s something really special about the first festival of the year,” commented festival organiser, James Oxley.
“People are excited, they’re ready to play, and there’s a real buzz in the room. Manchester Board Game Festival has always been about bringing people together through games, and we can’t wait to see everyone back in the halls enjoying themselves.
“Whether attendees come for a single afternoon or the full weekend, the focus is on playing at your own pace, meeting new people, and enjoying games in a relaxed and friendly setting.”
Further festivals will follow throughout 2026, including themed Halloween and Christmas editions later in the year, so keep your eyes peeled, but until then, February’s event marks the first chance for players to roll some dice, discover new favourites, and start the year with a table full of games.
Manchester Board Game Festival takes place from Friday 27 February through to Sunday 1 March at Sachas Hotel in the Northern Quarter, with tickets starting from just £13.
Trailer released for new romcom Finding Emily set and filmed all across Manchester
Emily Sergeant
The first trailer for a new romcom that’s set and filmed all across Manchester has been released.
The film, titled Finding Emily, tells the story of a lovesick musician, played by Spike Fearn, who meets his dream girl on a night out, but ends up with the wrong phone number, and so teams up with a driven psychology student, played by Angourie Rice, in a bid to find her.
Together, the unlikely duo spark a hilarious campus-wide frenzy that tests their own hearts and ambitions along the way.
The film – which is directed by Alicia MacDonald, and based on a screenplay written by Rachel Hirons – is produced by Working Title Films, is set in the fictional Manchester City University, and is due to be distributed by Focus Features and Universal Pictures across the UK and internationally this spring.
The talented ensemble cast groups together big names like Minnie Driver with rising stars like Ella Maisy Purvis, Yali Topal Margalith, and Kat Ronney, as well as other established actors including Timothy Innes and Nadia Parkes.
Filming took place in Manchester between August and September 2024.
The two and a half-minute trailer has been shared with the world today, and when we say it’s a Manc film, we mean it… we quite literally lost count of how many of our city’s famous locations can be spotted in just the trailer alone.
The trailer has been released for new romcom Finding Emily set and filmed in Manchester / Credit: Universal Pictures & Focus Features (via YouTube)
There’s everything from Manchester Central Library and Piccadilly Records, to Canal Street and the Gay Village, the Northern Quarter, the Crown & Kettle pub in Ancoats, and even the Emmeline Pankhurst statue in St Peter’s Square featured for all to see, alongside what’ll, presumably, be dozens of other famous locations.
Oh, and not to mention, if you keep your eyes peeled when watching the trailer, you can even see a small clip of Stockport band Blossoms playing a gig in there too.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd February 2022 
