The quiet seaside resort town of Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, UK, has been invaded by giant rats that have local pest control officials scrambling to control the outbreak.

Mark Tilley, a 2 Z Pest Control manager says calls to his company about the rat infestation are higher now than at any time in the pas 17 years. His workers are using any and all means necessary to rid the town of the critters, including shooting them, trapping them and using specially trained dogs to catch them.

One elderly woman was forced to leave her home by the rats and when Tilley and his crew showed up, here’s what they found:

“When we first got there everywhere we looked moved. There were hundreds of them there. They were running up the trees and everything. I have never seen anything like it. I have never seen rats like it before – they were all over the house. They were absolutely everywhere. It gave me the creeps and I’m used to seeing them. There just seems to be an awful lot more rats about.”

Another homeowner in the town set up a camera after hearing the rats on his roof and was astonished at watching the rats coming up and looking right into the camera.