There have been more than 66,000 pest reports and complaints made to councils and housing authorities across Northern Ireland since 2020.

New figures obtained by BBC News NI show that the vast majority are related to rats and mice.

It comes as some business owners in County Tyrone are calling for action to be taken over the presence of rats near their shops in Dungannon town centre.

Phone shop owner Noel Stringer said some of the rats spotted near his premises were “the size of a small dog”.

Local politicians and business representatives said a main source of the rodent problem is a laneway which is covered with pigeon excrement and hasn’t been cleaned in several months.

Wilson’s Lane, also known locally as Babe’s Entry, has historically been a public right of way and is regularly used by shoppers to walk between two of Dungannon’s main streets.

Meanwhile the conditions within Wilson’s Lane have continued to deteriorate.

Planning documents refer to it as “a public right of way”, but Mid Ulster Council say the lane is under private ownership.

A spokesperson for the company Centum, which submitted plans to develop the area around Wilson’s Lane said issues, such as rodents, were “entirely predictable given long-term disrepair linked to stalled development”.

With progress being “repeatedly blocked”, public-health issues will “inevitably rise”, they added.

“This is not neglect; it is the direct consequence of delay.

“We will continue to engage on environmental and safety concerns, but while redevelopment remains stalled we will have to reconsider how the area is managed in the interim to protect the public interest and safety.”

In a statement, the Dungannon Traders’ Association said its members “support regeneration” and want to see the site developed “properly and successfully”.

The association said traders remained open to “constructive engagement” on the site, which they described as having “been allowed to fall into serious decline”.

“Delays to the development can not be attributed solely to local concerns,” a spokesperson said, adding that “confirmed infrastructure constraints” had been a “key factor”.

Noel Stringer owns Tyrone Telecom which is situated on Irish Street at the end of Wilson’s Lane. He said that customers regularly tell him about seeing rats outside his shop.

“The filth of the entry is awful, I actually was walking up the entry one day and I saw a rat come down the size of a small dog, and it had a pigeon in its mouth, it was massive.

“There’s a lot of passing the buck about whose responsibility it is to clean this area, but something needs to done, it has become a health and safety issue.”

Mid Ulster Council said that because the lane is close to the town centre, it “periodically arranges cleansing of the area”.

Local independent councillor Barry Monteith organised for the lane to be cleaned with a power hose last year.

However, because of nesting pigeons within the entry, he said the filth and pest problem in the lane is worse than ever.

“To be honest that is just a sticking plaster, because fast forward a few months later, the lane is as bad as ever, pigeons are still nesting and it’s not being maintained and the rats are still there.

“I’ve been calling for years that it should be adopted onto the footpath network in the town which would mean the council would integrate it into its town cleaning schedule.”

Mid Ulster District Council said the responsibility for managing pests on private property “lies with the owner or occupier”.

A council spokesperson added: “While the area in question is under private ownership, the council’s environmental health and environmental services departments have been in contact with, and continue to actively engage with, the private owner to help resolve the issue by encouraging the use of robust pest control measures.”

Local UUP representative Ian Irwin said the rodent problem in Dungannon wasn’t confined to Wilson’s Lane.

“Unfortunately, in recent months there have been increasing reports of rat problems in residential areas of the town as well.

“I had one lady in particular who sent me videos of a very large rat right outside her back door, and that’s very alarming and distressing.”

Information received through freedom of information (FOI) requests also shows that more than £4m was spent by councils and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in dealing with pest problems.

Most of the expenditure by councils was for dealing with pest problems within their own properties and land.

Belfast City Council is the only council to offer a free pest control service, focusing mainly on rats and mice.

The majority of councils in Northern Ireland only provide advice to members of the public on pest control matters.

In a statement Mid Ulster council said: “Councils are not legally required to provide a pest control service, however, to ensure our district is kept free from infestations so far as is reasonably practicable, our environmental health department provides advice, support and, where necessary, enforcement to address any reported issues.”