I put poison in a kitchen towel tube which was blocked of at one end. Dogs and cats can't get in and I don't think birds would try. I placed it under some overgrown ivy by the fence, near where I knew they would go. They were after seeds and oats put on the ground for the birds.
Took a day to work, then i found a dying rat on the lawn. Heartbreaking to see and i had to kill it quickly. The next day, I found another one in the same state.
The council told me that they breed every six weeks! It's very unpleasant but i would recommend that you do something.
I found what I think was a rat run in my compost bin, a couple of weeks ago, but I havn't seen any and so am doing nothing at the mo. They are everywhere aren't they? And my friend, who couldn't bring herself to kill them, ended up having to pay to get rid of them from the house.

I had the same problem, all you need is an old fashioned rat-trap and a Mars bar.

Superscouse, are you a VERY brave person? You tell us that the bins have only been recently built and filled. Your task, if you choose to accept it, is to empty the bins and re-fill them! This will disturb the rats and the nests will be destroyed as you remix the compost material. With luck, they won't come back.
While you are doing this I would suggest removing the sunflower seed heads as it is unlikely that all the seed will be destroyed and you will get sunflowers coming up everywhere next year.

Bulbaholic and I dealt with a major rat infestation on our 3 acres croft in Aberdeenshire, but that was over 30 years ago. Now I'd think twice about tackling the problem myself and would get the local council's vermin exterminator in. The problem needs to be nipped in the bud very rapidly because they are prolific breeders. You've obviously discovered by now that some things are best not composted... can you take the compost heap apart and remove the sunflower seeds and apples... if so I'd do that immediately and send them to your green waste. I doubt any compost heap will get hot enough to kill off sunflower seeds so you will have them anywhere you use your compost. Windfall apples can be turned into all sorts of useful things whilst the sunflower seed heads can be hung up for the birds to eat. Good luck!

Info from both the MoonBulbs lol

if any of your dogs are jack russel's problem solved

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far to my little vermin problem and for all the useful suggestions.
Earlier today between heavy rain showers, I did as Bulbaholic suggested and gathered up my courage in both hands, threw back the carpets and dug deep into the compost. Fortunately they must have heard me coming and scarpered! I managed to remove all the apples and most of the sunflower heads. (what a stupid thing to have done in the first place!) and destroyed the tell-tale tunnels. It was lovely and warm in there so no wonder they like it!
I am down to the DIY store first thing for a rat trap (the humane kind) and will bait it with a Mars bar as Heron suggests. Cliffo, I'm afraid they are Labradors and will eat anything but kill nothing!

Has anyone had experience with these ultrasonic devices which are supposed to frighten them away?

Cliffo, you're right about JR's, next door they have horses and four JR's. Even though they no doubt kill some rats I still need my traps. I put some plastic mesh beneath my compost bins but the rats had no problem eating through it. Superscouse you're the only person I know who doesn't kill them. What do you do with them when you've caught them?

Superscouse I really recommend that you terminate the rats with extreme prejudice they really are vermin, carry all sort of diseases, are vicious as can be and no one else is going to want them in their garden!

All us scousers are soft hearted;-)

So you will give the rats a home Born?

But of course Mg;-))

being a scouser he probly has them in a little tredmill providing electricity for his green house, they are not daft in the pool

:-)

If I had it all my own way the rats would probably be killed but I have a darling wife who believes they are all Gods creatures and we should share the planet with them. I hasten to add this does not seem to apply to slugs and snails which we both kill with great relish!
However, I have just acquired a rat trap from the hardware shop this morning and the advice is to take it far away (at least 2 miles) or it will find its way home. Frankly, I am not that keen to put it in the car and take it for a drive but at least on the way I can explain why I am doing it and wish it well for the future!
The dogs are going mental wondering what the smell is!

Good luck... hope it doesn't return!

Can see why you don't fancy taking the rats for a drive in the country..uuugh.
Do you think you could face emptying the bins again and putting chicken wire along the bottom and a bit up the sides and then turn your compost on a really regular basis as rats don't like being disturbed and they might decide to take up residence somewhere else where they get left alone.

Well, a strange thing has happened since my last comment. They seem to have gone or I've bought a lousy trap - not sure which! No visible signs since Sunday when I had a good rummage through the heap and got rid of the edible stuff. Dogs still very interested in the garden but could be a lingering smell. Will keep you posted.

and as Bamboo said rats can chew through chicken mesh... Fingers crossed your work on Sunday scared them off.

~just found this but I can say we have had problems two years
running and speak from experience of using traps and relocating them by car~(not nice, but I have got to say that they looked clean and well groomed)~ poison etc but I found this super stuff which only kills rats and no other animal/bird/ called ERADIBAIT and is supposedly quick~ ww.trapman.co.uk/eradibait.html~ don't wait you can catch very nasty diseases,I was really ill for two weeks the first year~

That's uncanny, they went for a while and now they are back so I'll get some of this stuff and try it. Thanks very much!

~ you are welcome Superscouse~ hope it works for you!I must admit to having worries about poisoned rats being eaten by birds/foxes etc even though my husband was burying them deeply,I wasn't very happy~hopefully this won't have the same drawbacks!

Hope you manage to eradicate them SScouse