The upsurge in the number of wasps hitting Oxfordshire has made it difficult for some pest controllers to respond swiftly to rat infestations.

A brown rat

The Oxford Mail reported on Friday (August 6) that swarms of wasps are plaguing the county with pest control firms coping with the highest number for years.

Calls from householders and businesses wanting nests destroyed are up 20 per cent on last year.

While it is not thought to be an above average year for rat infestations, pest controllers are taking longer to respond because of the wasp problem, according to private firms.

Oxford City Council's environmental health department offers a free service to rid people of rats. There are also several private pest control firms, who offer the same service at varying costs.

A spokesman for Banbury-based A1 Pest Control said: "This has certainly been an above average year for wasps, so callers with rat problems may have to wait longer.

"The temptation for some pest control firms is probably to tackle the wasp jobs first because a nest can be dealt with in one visit while a rat infestation is more tricky and may take two or three."

John Ayres, who runs Abingdon and Vale Pest Control Services, in Abingdon Road, Drayton, said: "During the summertime, there are not so many rats around - they tend to come into people's homes looking for food and shelter after the harvest.

"There has not been a particular upsurge in rats this year and they are not getting any bigger. "If councils are unable to cope then firms like ours are only too happy to take up the slack. We try to make sure customers don't have to wait more than two to three days."

A spokesman for Forward Environmental Services, the fourth largest pest control firm in the UK, said it had dealt with wasp and rat problems in Oxford this summer.

She added: "There are lots of wasps but it is not an above average year for rats."

Oxford City Council has two pest control officers. It is currently looking to fill a further two empty posts, leaving some people waiting up to three weeks for help.

Mary Clarkson, city council executive member for local environment, said: "I believe there is money in the budget to ensure that a third pest control officer is hired."

Once an infestation has been reported to the city council, pest control surveyors carry out an initial survey to assess the scale of the problem, before working out the best place to put chemical poisons, which are effective but result in a "relatively painless" death, according to the council. Pest controllers then return at regular intervals to refill bait boxes until the infestation has ended.

No-one from Oxford City Council's environmental health department was available for comment.