Rats, mice and insects love the environment that fly-tipped rubbish and furniture creates.
Breeding
And once they’ve made themselves at home and started breeding, they can multiply at an alarming rate.
If a female rat gives birth to around six litters of up to 12 baby rats each year and these babies start reproducing when they are 10 weeks old, the original pair that snuggled up in an abandoned sofa can become over 1,000 in 12 months.
Infections
The problems that can create include infections such as leptospirosis, hantavirus, rat-bite fever and a type of meningitis, which can be transmitted to people.