Getty Images Lockdowns are lifting and people are starting to think about returning to the office. There is just one problem: rats have taken over. The British Pest Control Association (BPCA) says there was a marked increase in rat activity in British cities over the course of the first coronavirus lockdown, with members reporting a 51 per cent increase in sightings during last April alone. That rose to 78 per cent by October 2020, when the cold winter months gave rats exactly the prompt they needed to start head indoors. Empty office blocks, which offered the perfect mix of warmth and - in the absence of staff - silence, have proved decidedly attractive.