The expertise of people with
jobs in environmental health has been called upon in Blackburn due to a worsening pest problem.
According to the Lancashire Telegraph, council officials have received increasing numbers of complaints from local people who have spotted rats in the area.
Owners of the town's cathedral have been forced to install an exterminator to combat the problem, which has worsened significantly in recent years.
Pest controllers have now joined forces with environmental health staff in a bid to reduce the problem and increase public safety.
A spokesman for the Keep Britain Tidy campaign said: "The fact of the matter is that rats feed off our rubbish.
"Unfortunately, fast food litter remains a big problem nationwide and we all have a part to play in tackling this major issue."
The campaign recently announced the launch of a scheme to encourage passengers from the London Underground to dispose of their waste in a responsible manner.
Working alongside Boris Johnson, Metro newspapers and the Underground, Keep Britain Tidy has successfully installed an additional 166 bins on the Tube network.
Posted by Francesca Critchlow
