The rat catcher working overtime in Birmingham

National World - LocalTV

Will Timms has worked in pest control for over a decade – but Birmingham’s ongoing bin strikes have pushed his job to the limit. With overflowing rubbish and surging rat infestations, we follow Will through the streets of a city where pest control has become an essential frontline service.

Transcript

00:00You wouldn't normally think of pest control as a particularly unusual job

00:05until the bins have stopped being emptied.

00:08Will Timms has been flat out since the strikes began,

00:11driving across the city every day, dealing with rats the size of small dogs.

00:16He's even cancelled holidays to keep up with demand.

00:19It's not glamorous work, it's stressful, it's smelly, and lately, it's non-stop.

00:24But how did he end up in this line of work in the first place?

00:27Well, originally I was in the forces and I came out of there and I did security

00:33and I ended up doing security in hospitals there, like the Cellio Hospital I&E

00:38and everywhere like that, and I got fed up with being beaten up.

00:42So I was doing 72 hours a week, I got my jaw broke, ribs cracked,

00:49knife pulled on me, pistol pulled on me, and I just thought, I've had enough.

00:53So I saw a job, advertised at Rent-A-Kill, and I went for that.

00:57Whether it's a council flat or a new Jaguar, the rats don't discriminate,

01:01and neither does Will.

01:03His days are spent crawling through tight spaces, trapping rodents,

01:06and occasionally informing police when a job requires more firepower.

01:11And with bin bags stacked high and nappies left on pavements,

01:15it's not just a job anymore, it's a public service.

01:18But for someone who's been doing this for over a decade,

01:21is this really the worst it's ever been?

01:24Well, usually this time of year, we're doing about three, four rodent jobs a day,

01:28then insect jobs, moths, bed bugs, anything like that.

01:32But since the bin strokes, in certain areas, it's just got absolutely out of control.

01:37So the calls for rats getting into people's cars, sheds, back gardens, loft spaces,

01:41is virtually doubled.

01:43So 40 to 50% since the bin strokes.

01:47It has started to slow down a bit now,

01:49because people are starting to learn to take the rubbish and not fly tip.

01:54So, and it has started to calm down a bit now.

01:56The booming business might sound like a blessing,

01:59but Will isn't celebrating.

02:01He's worried about amateurs taking things into their own hands,

02:05lying illegal glue boards, using poison unsightly,

02:08even endangering children and animals.

02:11And with a city this size,

02:12the consequences of bad pest control could spread just as fast as the rats.

02:16But even for a seasoned professional,

02:19the scale of the problem has been overwhelming.

02:21Oh, they're buying absolutely ridiculous bait off Amazon, eBay, local shops.

02:27They're buying sticky boards, which are actually illegal.

02:30People are putting snap traps up in their loft,

02:33not really realising that they've got bats.

02:35So bats are getting caught in the snap traps as well,

02:37which again is highly illegal.

02:39And they're just going out and just piling.

02:41They see somebody chuck a load of rubbish at it.

02:43So I think, oh, I'll add mine to that,

02:44so I've taken it down the tip.

02:46What they don't realise is when they're doing that,

02:48the rats are climbing all over that, urinating all over it.

02:50They're picking it up, taking it to their house.

02:53They've got a cut on their finger or something.

02:55I think they're getting the flu.

02:56And I haven't.

02:57They've got libtospirosis coming, which is a killer.

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