Pest control officers in North Yorkshire, UK, were stunned after removing a rat measuring more than 22 inches from nose to tail inside a home in Eston.

`It`s almost the size of a small cat,` councillors David Taylor and Stephen Martin wrote while sharing a photo of the rodent online. They warned the case highlights a growing rat problem in the area.

The councillors are now calling for a full vermin survey, more pest control funding and cooperation between authorities, specialists and property owners.

`The longer this is ignored, the worse it will get. We need action not just advice,` they said.