Efforts to clean up an area that has been plagued by rats have been stepped up after footage of them “playing” freely emerged.

Harrow Council has devoted time and resources to tackling a rat problem in the borough, implementing a number of measures to deter them.

One of the areas that has been targeted is the underpass by Morrisons in Harrow town centre.

Despite strong efforts, there continues to be an issue with rats, with one Harrow resident filming them scurrying about “without any concern at the people passing by”.

He questioned whether the rat traps put in place by the council were sufficient but hoped that bringing the situation to the fore would encourage even more work.

Graham Henson, responsible for the environment at Harrow Council, said: “We are doing everything we can to deal with the vermin.

“While this is area is cleaned regularly, we have been baiting the area in large quantities, and have a weekly baiting programme in place.

“We’ve also trimmed the hedges and replaced the old bins with brand new ones which are vermin resistant.”

The team tasked with solving the rat problem recently carried out some work in Greenhill Way – an area that became infamous after a video circulated online showing “monster” rats jumping in and out of flowerbeds and rubbish bags.

As well as installing the new, “rat-proof” bins, council workers dug up the beds and replanted them to make them less attractive to rodents.

The council encourages anyone who suspects a rat infestation to report it to them via their website.