GLASGOW is being overrun by rats as pest controllers struggle to cope with spiralling demand and miss thousands of call-outs.

A council whistleblower has revealed the extent of the rodent shame as the local authority prepares to axe three specialist operatives this month.

Temporary staff were drafted in to deal with the growing rat population last year but the funding for them has run out.

Our source, who works as a pest controller for Glasgow City Council, claimed stressed workers have been unable to attend thousands of call-outs.

And bin collection staff are refusing to pick up rat-infested rubbish, meaning the problems have intensified.

The source said: “There are more and more pest control jobs coming through every day and there seems to be a lot more involving rats.

“The rat problem has been getting pretty bad in Glasgow for the last five years and it’s been getting progressively worse.

“They are breeding quicker than we can control them. It’s now breeding season, so this is only going to get worse.

“I would say the backlog of jobs is into the thousands.

“Some jobs go back a year or two but we’re now not able to get to many of the older jobs to check if the rats are gone.

“Last year the council had funding for some new people to come in for a year to help but it’s turned out to be just eight months. The service is now saying there’s no money.

“Everybody is just way behind. There are three guys being let go and they won’t be replaced.”

In the last five years, Glasgow City Council has received 13,962 complaints about rat infestations.

Last year saw the highest number of rat reports, 4160, since 2008.

Residents also made 36,893 complaints in 2017 about the council’s cleansing service, with the majority relating to missed bin collections.

The source added: “The main problem is the bins, it’s a vicious circle.

“The bins are not being lifted for weeks because when a bin worker spots a rat they don’t have to lift the bins. If they call pest control and we can’t get there quick enough then the problem persists.

“If you think it’s bad in Glasgow now, it’s only going to get worse.”

A council spokesman said 50,000 old-style steel bins would be replaced across the city to help deal with the rat population.

He added: “The additional funding for pest control was always only available for a limited period to help us address the volume of calls for pest control support.

“We always review how we deliver services to ensure they are as effective as possible and we are also looking at how new technology can further support our pest control operations.

“We always aim to respond to calls from the public for pest control support as quickly as possible while focusing resources where intensive treatments are required.

“The most effective way to stifle the rat population on a long-term basis is to cut off their sources of food.”

Last month a viral video showed dozens of rats scurrying around the West End Retail Park on Crow Road.

West End residents said rodents are plaguing the area, with one mum, Kate Bush, telling of how she has battled with the council for years over the state of her litter-strewn back court.

In February residents across the city said their bins had been left overflowing despite a council pledge to make refuse collections a “priority”.

People in Yorkhill and Govan claimed missed bin collections were adding to increasing rat problems.

And in January Siohbon Carey, from Whiteinch, told of how she had found rat droppings and had heard the animals scratching at the walls in her Medwin Street flat.

Epilepsy sufferer Ms Carey added that she feared the rats could eat her if she collapsed with a seizure.

Earlier this month a Liberal Democrat Freedom of Information request found that pest controllers had been sent to Glasgow’s schools 2,446 times between 2013 and 2018.

If you've had any issues with rodents, get in touch with us at news@eveningtimes.co.uk.