I was sat watching the birds feed the other morning, and saw a rat eating the bits of seed the birds were dropping
Continued to watch and no less than six babies came out from the hedge with the mother.:suspect:

We have put poison down a hole we found but dont like using it as I have dogs and am also concerned for the wild life,
is there anything else we can do,
I rang the council and they say they will come next friday.

Just scared now if I've seen six there could be dozens.

I've got the buggers on my allotment too. There must be thousands in the city.

Why do you need to actually do anything?
If they're not causing any damage, why kill them?

B&Q do easy-set rat traps for about a fiver

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/nav.jsp?isSearch=true&fh_search=rat+trap&selected=products

Rats like peanut butter :D

H - rats DO cause damage by spreading diseases like Leptospirosis (deadly to humans) toxoplasmosis & salmonella to name 3.

And for keen regular gardeners contact with rat urine/ faeces is a potential daily (but avoidable) danger.

http://naturalengland.twoten.com/naturalenglandshop/docs/tan_34.pdf

http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/conservation/wildlife-management-licensing/leaflets.htm#rats

Why do you need to actually do anything?
If they're not causing any damage, why kill them?

As don said rats bring with them loads of diseases
and can breed very quickly
the six babies can turn into hundreds in no time.

B&Q do easy-set rat traps for about a fiver

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/nav.jsp?isSearch=true&fh_search=rat+trap&selected=products

Rats like peanut butter :D

H - rats DO cause damage by spreading diseases like Leptospirosis (deadly to humans) toxoplasmosis & salmonella to name 3.

And for keen regular gardeners contact with rat urine/ faeces is a potential daily (but avoidable) danger.

http://naturalengland.twoten.com/naturalenglandshop/docs/tan_34.pdf

http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/conservation/wildlife-management-licensing/leaflets.htm#rats

Thankyou very much very helpful,
must say I didn't realise they brought so many diseases

Been putting poison down for a couple of days, and I've been watching and only seen one today
My hubby sats I'm getting obsessed, cos I keep watching for them now

I knew a brick layer who almost died because of Leptospirosis, he used to lick a finger each time he picked up a brick to lay it- much like some people lick a finger to turn the page of a book.
He came down with bad flu like symptoms which turned into lepto. Almost killed him, aparrantly rats were running over the bricks in the night and their urine was infected.

Fishermen are particularly prone, where they get little nicks in their fingers and hold line in their mouth.

Cavers too have a high incidence of lepto - kind of associated 'occupational health hazzards'

I've got them in my compost bin at the lottie. If I get rid of the present lot won't they just be replaced with another lot? There is a stream at the bottom of my plot and I back onto woodland. I don't put meat/fish/cooked food in my bin. I think they just like the warmth.

Just keep killing them LC.

The more you get the better :)

Rats also live in many pub cellars and spend their free time running over the crates and peeing on the bottles.
So when you get a beer put it in a glass!

To the OP - if you want rid of the rats permanently you may have to consider getting rid of the feeders, or cleaning them up regularly - if there is a food source, there will always be rats. And when one dies, there are a hundred more ready to take it's place...