BUSINESSES in Swindon are being warned that when staff move out of their offices over the Easter break, rats could be tempted to move in.

Experts say that periods when offices and other business premises are empty can be a prime time for rodent invasions.

Justin Holloway, founder of Swindon-based Prokill Thames West Pet Control, said: “Close-down periods can be an issue if a building isn’t properly protected.

“As always the problem is allowing rats to gain access in the first place - all shopkeepers and business owners should be showing due diligence when it comes to securing premises but sadly that isn’t always the case.

“It’s everything from doors being secured properly to ensuring that holes where old pipes may have been are closed.

“More often than not, building work associated with sewers and drainage has not been done to the highest standard and as a result gaps can appear.

“A lot of people don’t appreciate the damage that rats can do to their business.”

The fallout from a rat invasion may not only be physical – it can also have significant financial and reputational consequences too.

In addition to eating food products left in storage, rats will try and chew most things whether that be valuable paperwork, electric cabling or other stock.

Some businesses, such as those in the food production and pharmaceutical industries, have taken to using monitoring devices that are so sophisticated that they can send text and email alerts at the first sign of rodent activity.

Swindon hit the national headlines last year when a 20 inch rat was found in the backyard of a business in the centre of town sparking fear that a plague of super-rats was on the way.

Justin, who discovered the huge creature, said: “The thing to remember about rats and so-called super rats is that it isn’t actually an issue of size.

“Super-rats are those that have genetic variants that are far more tolerant to the most commonly used poisons.

“They often end up being bigger simply because their resilience leads to them living longer and eating more but it isn’t the size specifically that makes them super-rats.”

While it is hard to keep an accurate record of rat population levels, experts like Justin have noticed that over the last 12-months they have seen the busiest periods of rat activity they have encountered to date.

Although lifestyle habits such as the increased use of packaged food and longer gaps between bin collections may be a contributing factor, the warmer climates with shorter, milder winters are thought to be a more likely cause.

It seems there is no magic button that can protect a building from unwanted visitors, instead the best advice experts can offer to business owners is to act now and put the proper protection in place before it is too late.