More rats creep into Sweden's cities

Rats like these are common in Stockholm. Photo: TT

Sweden is experiencing a rapid increase in its rat population according to the country's biggest pest control company, which says that the growing trend for outdoor food stalls is partly to blame.

The whiskered animals are becoming more commonplace as "more people eat out, take fast food and go to the growing numbers of food trucks and stands," according to Sven Jeppsson, spokesperson for Swedish pest control firm Anticimex.

He also notes that household waste is increasingly being stored outside apartment blocks, rather than indoors.

"So the rats have more opportunities to source food from us and multiply than when we just dined at home," he tells The Local.

Across Sweden, 33,960 cases of rats were reported in 2013, compared to 29,006 in 2011.

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More rats creep into Sweden's cities