A rat invasion is taking over Glasgow, with a staggering 60,000 reports of rodents in homes and streets since 2019. This is a major issue that has been consistently rising each year, with more than 60,000 reports since 2019. But here's where it gets controversial: the rat population is booming, and it's not just in the city's less affluent areas. Rats are now invading the city center, public parks, and even flagship shopping spots.
The numbers are alarming. In 2019, the council received 6,170 reports of rats, with 1,502 of these inside properties. By 2025, the number of rat sightings had increased to 12,155, with 2,332 of these in people's homes. Dumbarton Road, Paisley Road West, Argyle Street, Shettleston Road, Hathaway Lane, and London Road topped the list for rodent sightings.
A prominent trade union convener recently said Glasgow needed to declare a "rat emergency" amid fears warm weather this summer could cause a further explosion in numbers across the city. GMB's Chris Mitchell reissued a plea to Glasgow City Council to step up action, saying the number of rat sightings from his cleansing teams and the public continues to rise on a daily basis.
He said: "I have been very vocal in the past when it comes to this. Despite investment to bolster the number of street cleaners and cleansing workers, more needs to be done to get a grip on the rat crisis."
The GMB chief says that he fears the problem will only get worse as we move through 2026. When we have warmer weather, rats breed more frequently. It is a perfect storm of sunshine, food, and overgrown areas that they can hide away in.
"I've been banging the drum on this problem for what feels like forever. My fear is it is moving increasingly into the city center, all I hear from our members are reports of rats in bins, rats running about Glasgow's lanes and even some sightings in the flagship shopping spots. This is a big year for the city; we need to invest now to get this under control."
The new data shows there has been a continued worrying spike in sightings. The full breakdown of the figures shows the council logged 6,170 vermin reports in 2019 - with 1,502 of these within properties. There were 7,404 in 2020, with 1,339 indoors; 7,405 the following year, with 5,939 of these outside. In 2022, the council received notification of a combined 7,387 sightings but this figure rocketed to 8,959 in 2023, with almost 2,000 of these in domestic properties.
It rose again in 2024 to a combined total of 10,341 reports and increased in 2025 to a high of 12,155, with 2,332 of these of vermin in people's homes. Drumchapel and Anniesland councillor Paul Carey, who worked with the Glasgow Times on the FOI request, says what was once predominantly an issue in Glasgow's more disadvantaged areas has now become a much bigger concern.
He said: "It used to be that housing estates and schemes was where you expected to see rats in back courts or bin sheds, but that is sadly no longer the case. We are hearing about them in the city center, public parks, everywhere. It's a problem that these figures show is getting worse and we need more of a focus to tackle it."
A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council asked the public to help them tackle the difficult problem.
They said: "The best way to deter rats is to ensure all food waste is properly disposed of in a bin. Rats are unfortunately a feature of urban life but they do prefer to keep out of sight of people and other predators. Rats are also always in search of a source of food and somewhere to nest close-by. It is therefore vital for anyone out and on-the-go to use one of Glasgow's 5,500 public litter bins for any food waste and litter, or if at home, to use a food waste bin that will provide suitable containment and be uplifted routinely. We provide a pest control service for domestic properties and we follow British Pest Control Association guidance that indicates property owners should undertake hygiene and pest proofing measures to ensure the effectiveness of any pest control treatment."
The council has also extended its pest control team as part of recently agreed investment in frontline services, which includes recruiting 200 street cleansing and parks staff to help keep Glasgow in good condition. They have also begun rolling out on-street bin hubs, which have more frequent bin collections for flatted properties across Glasgow. Early evidence indicates the introduction of bin-hubs is helping to improve the management of waste and better control the pest population as a result.
