A man in full rodent costume describing himself as the 'Selly Oak rat' appeared at a full meeting of Birmingham City Council and managed to ask a question about the bin strike crisis.

“Both are excreted by infected but healthy rats in (in particular) urine, and both can cause severe disease in people, and ...

“You can be naked anywhere except when you are in the main carpark. There are no exceptions to this,” he clarifies. “This is ...

Councils responded to an additional 52 rat or mouse-related call-outs per day last year compared with 2022, figures show.