In a development reminiscent of the 'Pied Piper of Hamelin', scientists in Britain have warned of an increasing number of British towns and cities being infested by rats, or rather super rats. Yes that is right, genetic mutations have produced a new breed of 'super rat' that shields the vermin from standard toxins, according to professor Roert Smith of the University of Huddersfield.

Ratcatchers in Berkshire and Hampshire were first to report the phenomenon after they observed that their poisons failed to work against the new breed. Experts attribute this to the rats gaining immunity against the poisons.

Tests on the rats have revealed that the immunity stems from an entirely new strand of DNA that wards off attacks from pesticides.

The latest town to be affected is Swindon in Wiltshire, with a reported increase of 500 per cent even as people turn to traps, air rifles and even dogs to keep the rodent population in check.

Prof Smith of the university's applied sciences department has warned that the rats may be thriving across Britain and with the government no longer providing funding to track resistance, the scale of the problem is unclear.

He said that according to natural selection rats that are not resistant to poison will be killed but the ones that are will survive and pass on their gene responsible for immunity to their babies.

He added that with mutations and changes in their DNA rats gain the ability to deal with poisons and this appeared to be moving in west in rat populations in Swindon and Bristol. He added that it was a sign of things to come.

Estimates put the rat population in Britain to around 80 million, a rise of more than 200 per cent since 2007.

The National Pest Technician Association has attributed the population explosion to the scrapping of weekly bin collections with households now keeping their rubbish bags outside for longer.

Meanwhile, the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) has called on the government to approve more powerful pesticides for use outdoors. It has warned of a threat to public health if rat numbers continue to rise over the summer.

Huddersfield University plans to undertake a year-long study to attempt to understand the extent to which the mutation has spread.