Rats can invade your home in ‘underground motorways’ everyone ignores

A plumbing expert warns that hidden drain faults are allowing rats in drain pipes to invade UK homes -- and most homeowners are spending money on the wrong fix

07:00, 05 May 2026

This could be channelling rats into your home at speed(Image: Getty)

A plumbing and drainage specialist warned one neglected problem [1]enables rats[2] to treat your pipes as "underground motorways" to infiltrate UK homes.

Hidden drain defects are among the leading causes of rat infestations in UK properties, and uncertainty over who bears responsibility for repairing them is significantly worsening the situation.[3]

Jack Cox, Managing Director and Founder of Bromley Plumbers, reveals he receives callouts for rat-related drain problems once or twice weekly.

With spring well underway and summer on the horizon, he cautions that rising temperatures will drive rat activity upwards, and that numerous homeowners are wasting money on entirely the wrong approach.

"Rats are experts at finding safe routes in and out of properties," Cox said. "Drains and sewer pipes are like underground motorways for them.", reports the Express[4].

Rats can use pipes as under-gound motorways(Image: Getty)

They travel through pipework, move between properties, and emerge wherever they discover a vulnerability, whether that is a fractured pipe, a compromised manhole cover, or an opening around a drain.

The fundamental problem, according to Cox, is that most people address what they can see rather than what is triggering the issue beneath the surface.

Sprays, deterrents, and surface-level pest control seldom resolve the underlying cause when the genuine fault lies metres underground in a compromised drain or sewer pipe.

Cox recalled one particular case that has stuck with him. A homeowner in Beckenham, Kent, was finding rats throughout her property, near the bathrooms and even emerging close to the bath.

Over time, the rodents had gnawed through three separate toilet waste pipes.

Upon further investigation, his team uncovered a damaged communal drain roughly eight metres underground, which was enabling rats to move freely through the shared network.

Rats can use pipes to get into your home(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

"The frustrating part was that because it was a shared drainage issue, there were delays and arguments between the parties involved over who was responsible for fixing it," Cox explained.

That dispute left the problem unresolved for longer than it should have been, and the infestation continued throughout.

This case highlights a predicament that countless homeowners face without even realising it.

Establishing who actually owns a drain is not always clear-cut, and getting it wrong means either forking out for repairs that aren't your responsibility, or waiting on others while rats continue to roam through your home.

Cox sets it out plainly. If the damaged drain solely serves your property before joining the public sewer, it is generally your responsibility as the homeowner to repair it.

If the fault lies within a shared drain or communal sewer, the local water company takes over. Across much of the area his team operates in, that means Thames Water handling shared sewer problems.

This differentiation is supported by Ofwat guidance on pipe and drain responsibility, which confirms that drains and private sewers carrying household waste are typically the householder's responsibility up to the point they connect with the public sewer.

Make sure you take the right steps to keep rats out of your home(Image: Getty Images)

Beyond that junction, the sewerage company assumes control. Shared drains, those serving multiple properties, involve collective responsibility between the affected property owners, which is exactly what makes disputes like the one Cox outlined so protracted.

"We are often asked who is responsible for rats in drains and rat-related drain faults, and the answer depends on where the defect is," Cox said.

"A good plumber or drainage engineer should be able to help you work out whether the drain is private or shared, where the damage is likely to be, and what your next step should be."

Obtaining clarity on that early isn't merely practical guidance.

Cox is clear about the expense of getting it wrong. "Getting clarity early can save a lot of stress and wasted money."

For homeowners grappling with recurring infestations who have already attempted pest control without success, Cox's recommendation is to have the drainage examined before spending another penny on deterrents.

A CCTV drain survey can pinpoint damage, blockages, or structural defects that provide rats with an entry route into the property, and it can establish whether the fault lies on private or shared infrastructure before any money changes hands.

The timing is crucial.

Rat activity increases as temperatures climb throughout summer, meaning any drainage defect left unexamined now is likely to escalate into a more severe problem by July and August.

Pinpointing the root of the issue, and establishing precisely whose responsibility it is to address it, is the most straightforward path to solving an infestation that persistently returns.

References

1. ^ neglected problem (www.mirror.co.uk)
2. ^ rats (www.mirror.co.uk)
3. ^ significantly worsening the situation. (www.mirror.co.uk)
4. ^ the Express (www.express.co.uk)