Where Southwark's Rats Come From
A cracked drain run under Camberwell
Rats live in the public sewer and only need a single cracked pipe or an old redundant connection to climb out into the ground beneath a house. In the terraced streets around Camberwell and Walworth, where floors are suspended timber over a shallow void, that's usually enough to get them under the boards without any obvious hole outside. Activity that seems to start in the middle of the house, with no visible entry point, is the pattern that points straight back to the drains.
Rail land and gardens near Nunhead
Further out towards Nunhead and Dulwich, gardens back directly onto railway embankments and cemetery grounds, and rats travel that open ground far more freely than they do through pipework. Compost heaps, bird feeders and gaps under sheds give them food and cover close to the house, and from there it's a short step to a loose airbrick or a gap where a pipe passes through a wall.
Signs to Look For
- Dark, tapered droppings roughly 1–2cm long, often in small groups
- Greasy smear marks along skirting boards, pipes and the edges of holes
- Gnawing on wood, plastic, food packaging or cables
- Scratching in ceilings, walls or under the floor, mostly at night
- Burrows a few centimetres across in soil, under paving or beside a shed
- A stale, ammonia-like smell in cupboards or under the stairs
Making Sure the Rats Don't Return in Southwark
Once the rats are dealt with, whatever let them in is usually still there. We'll talk through whether that's a drain fault or a garden gap before anything is booked.
