Rentokil Initial sales hot up as rats come out in UK heatwave

A plague of mice and insects this summer may be the stuff of nightmares for many Brits, but it is giving ratcatcher Rentokil Initial sweet dreams thanks to a boom in business.

The FTSE 100 support services company revealed that in the second quarter it saw 50% and 20% spikes in enquiries about call-outs respectively for insect and rodent control in the UK.

Chief executive Andy Ransom told the Standard: “We think that was partly to do with hot weather."

He added: “In the case of rats, it could be that food is going off quicker so more is being thrown out, attracting more rodents to bins and skips."

The growth in demand helped lift pest control sales 13% in the six months to June.

Total group comparable revenues rose 14.2% to £1.2 billion.

It posted an 81.3% fall in pre-tax profits to £109.5 million, but that was due to one-off gains a year earlier through disposals.