The sound of scuffling and scratching at night can mean only one thing…mice are in the house!

In the last year Wandsworth Council received nearly 1,000 reports of mice, making it the most common pest in the borough.

This was followed by 281 reports of birds and 224 reports of rats.

One resident who lives in temporary accommodation in Nightingale Square, Balham, said she had experienced recurring issues with mice and cockroaches and had to wait at least three weeks for the council to send someone over.

“It’s horrible, I think they bit on my clothes and food and stuff,” she said.

She recalls moving into a new flat on the estate only to find dead cockroaches:

“I was cleaning the shelves and draws in the kitchen and the dead cockroaches fell on my head,” she said.

“They really invade the place, it’s horrible. I have so much animal poisoning around me. It’s stressful, I’ve got a four-year-old and need to make sure he doesn’t touch these things and that everything gets sorted. It’s really hurtful for parents really. It’s just not appropriate.”

A council spokesperson said:  “We are not aware of any particular problem at Nightingale Square which is home to 92 properties, but whenever we receive reports like this we always respond quickly to put measures in place to prevent and deter any pest infestation.

“The time it takes to deal with a specific issue depends on a number of factors, including the availability of food sources within properties, but we won’t stop treatments until the problem has been dealt with.”

But what else has been lurking in the shadows of Wandsworth? We’ve listed the number of reports of each pest below.

Mice – 945

Birds – 281

Rats – 224

Cockroaches – 176

Wasps – 172

Bed Bugs – 145

Pharaoh’s Ants – 86

Squirrels – 74

Other Insects – 19

Fleas -14

Ants – 5

Foxes – 3

Ghost Ants – 2

Although council tenants will not usually have to pay for treatment, as this goes through their area’s housing team, pests can be expensive to remove for private renters.

Currently the council charges £247 to remove cockroaches, with no reduction for benefit recipients. Bedbugs are also up at the higher end of the scale, costing £247 for one or two bedrooms (reduced to 148 for benefit recipients), or £494 for three or more bedrooms (reduced to £296 for benefit recipients).

Mice are a bit cheaper to deal with, but still cost £138 for two visits plus bait box collection, reduced to £83 for benefits recipients.

Rat removal is £123 (£74 for benefits recipients) while wasp treatment is £73.50.