PEST control call-outs are dropping in Leigh, despite a national backdrop of rising figures.

Wigan Council was called out to 4,107 infestations last year — putting the borough in the top 100 most pest-ridden areas in the UK.

The authority dealt with an average of 12.92 pest control call-outs per 1,000 people between March, 2013 and March last year, ranking it 61st out of the 407 authorities surveyed.

This is an improvement on the previous year, when Wigan Council was ranked 35th highest and reported 5,193 callouts — 16.34 per 1,000 people.

The 2014 figures include 1,231 call-outs for mice infestations, 965 problems with rats, 812 ant issues and 676 cockroach infestations.

The data, published in the British Pest Control Association’s (BPCA) annual survey, was obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

Simon Forrester, chief executive of the BPCA, said spending cuts — which have seen the number of councils providing free pest control decline by 26 per cent in the last four years — could spark a pest population explosion.

He added: “Many who once provided pest control free of charge have either introduced charges or done away with their service altogether in a bid to balance the books.

“The pest population is higher than ever as a result and the problem is likely to get much worse, so we’re worried that short-term budget cuts will result in higher overall costs down the line.”

The BPCA say this policy has created big problems in low-income areas, with the cost of professional treatments prohibitive for many.

A total of 679,110 pest treatments were carried out by local authorities in 2010/11. But that figure dropped to 501,595 in 2013/14.

Steve Cassie, assistant director of trading at Wigan Council, said: “It is difficult to pinpoint exactly why the council has seen a fluctuation in the numbers for pest control services.

“One reason for a fall in complaints could be due to new fees for treatment of all pests which were introduced recently which has resulted in more people tackling any infestation problems themselves.

“The rise in help for ant and mice problems could stem from the type of open soil structure which is ideal for ants to nest in or the semi-rural nature of much of Wigan Borough which is an ideal habitat for mice.

“To treat many of these issues requires repeat visits and these repeat call outs may account for the high levels for ants and mice.”