text: Birmingham is the rat capital of the UK and the London Borough of Southwark has the most mice, cockroaches and bed bugs, according to new research. The Midlands city topped the league table for the highest number of rat exterminations with almost 15,000 between 2013 and 2014. Newcastle is officially the most pest-infested place in the country with 5 per cent of those living on Tyneside reporting problems with rats, cockroaches, wasps and other creepy crawlies. The North East city was followed by the City of London where 4.9 per cent of people reported problems, and in Knowsley, Merseyside, 3.4 per cent of residents were forced to call in exterminators. Scroll down for video . A survey revealed Birmingham to be the rat capital of the UK while the London Borough of Southwark has the most mice, cockroaches and bed bugs . Five per cent of residents in Newcastle, more than 6,000 people, called in pest inspectors last year - making Tyneside residents the most likely to report a problem (file image) The figures, released by the British Pest Control Association, also revealed that the most pest-free place was Southend, in Essex, where 0.03 per cent of homeowners had a problem. Officials at the BPCA warned that pests numbers are at their highest levels for several years after councils cut free pest-buster services. They said that, while there were usual local reasons for particular pests being common, the overall trend across the UK was an increase in numbers. For example, while rats and cockroaches are particularly common in large cities such as London, areas such as Fife, in Scotland, are much more prone to ants. Scotland as a whole has seen an explosion in the ant population in the last four years, will call-outs to treat the problem increasing three-fold. A graph compiled by the British Pest Control Association shows Wales is the most rat-infested country in the UK (left) and another shows the prevalence of mice by country (right_ . While inner-city areas such as Birmingham and London were plagued by rats and cockroaches, more rural areas such as North Lanarkshire were overrun by wasps (pictured) Meanwhile, residents of North Lanarkshire in Scotland were the most likely to report problems with wasps. After an especially wet summer in 2012-13 which killed off a lot of the UK's wasps, 2013-14 saw a boom in the number of the pests, especially in Scotland. The survey also revealed that the number of local authorities who provide a free pest control service has declined by 26 per cent over the past four years. And the BCPA is warning that this the potential to prompt a significant increase in pests, including rats and bedbugs. Simon Forrester, chief executive of the BCPA, said: 'Our study provides a comprehensive and graphic indication of the demand placed on local authorities for pest control. 'There are many localised reasons why a particular area could have a high prevalence of a certain pest, but there's certainly a recurring theme. 'If an infestation of any pest isn't dealt with quickly and professionally, it's likely to spread. 'The problem then becomes much more expensive and carries a greater risk to public health.' Wasp numbers saw a steady decline and then a sharp rise in the past few years (left) but there has been a clear rise in the number of bed bugs across the country (right) The number of ant infestations reported has shot up three-fold in Scotland in the last five years, data showed, with those in Fife most likely to report a problem .
target: Birmingham had almost 15,000 call outs for rats, more than any other city .
  Newcastle residents were most likely to report pest problem last year .
  The most pest-free place was Southend, in Essex, according to survey .
  British Pest Control Association warns number of bugs at an all-time high .