Smoke and dogs: those are the main sporting equipment that the West Lancs Rat Pack uses. And the results are explosive. Today’s venue is a large pile of rotting grain near Wigan. Farmers used to plough this back into the ground. Nowadays, it’s more ‘sustainable’ to leave it to rot. It’s certainly good and sustainable for this pack of ratters, who have a hectic session and make an impressive bag of 48.

Find the West Lancs Rat Pack on YouTube    / @westlancsratpack   and Facebook   / westlancsratpack  

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We’re proud to promote enjoyment of fieldsports and the countryside. There are three guiding principles to everything we do on Fieldsports Channel:

▶ Shoot responsibly
▶ Respect the quarry
▶ Ensure a humane, clean and quick kill

Why kill rats?
There are thought to be more than 10 million rats in the UK (…yuk).
Rats carry many diseases which can spread to humans, normally through their urine, including: leptospirosis or Weil's disease, salmonella, listeria, toxoplasma gondii and hantavirus.
Rodent contamination also presents a significant risk to livestock health. Both cattle and sheep will ingest a large proportion of faecal contamination (Daniels & Hutchings 2001).
Rats can also inflict structural damage. They can cause fires by gnawing away the insulation around electrical cables, floods by puncturing pipes and they chew through gas pipes. The insurance sector has estimated that rodent damage to wiring is responsible for 25% of all electrical fires in buildings.
Finally, rats can ruin an organisation's reputation. If clients and customers spot evidence of rodent infestation in the premises you manage, they are unlikely to want to do business with you.