A rat chewed through a couple's kitchen door overnight and snuck into their bedroom as their baby slept.

The large rodent had been living in their house for a month without being seen until it chewed two large holes in the kitchen door in a single night.

The rat snuck into the couple's bedroom where Chloe, who didn't wish to reveal her last name, was sleeping with two-month-old Ronnie.

In the early hours of the morning on November 29, Chloe heard the rat in the room and fled immediately, locking the door behind her.

She said: "We didn't actually see it. We heard rustling behind the radiator in our room and it was gone."

"We just ran out. We had to put a towel on the door because we were worried it would chew through the door again."

The mum-of-one called her boyfriend Abe, who was out and asked him to come home.

A pest control service attended the property and killed the rodent using an air pistol.

Chloe, of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, said: "I was actually so scared. I called Abe and told him to come right home."

"I didn't want it in the house. It's full of germs. I was worried it would get Ronnie sick."

According to Chloe, the rat had been living in the house for at least a month as she had been noticing items chewed around the house.

She said: "Things were getting eaten around the house. Abe didn't believe me because I saw it more often."

"The door it chewed through was wood. It was quite thick. I don't know how it did it."

The incident comes amid a rise in reports of rat infestations across the country.

Mark Telford, who attended Chloe and Abe's house, said that he has seen a massive increase in rat and mouse calls.

Mark, 45, owns Tornado Pest Control Limited and says he has seen a 30% increase in recent months.

He blames the issue partly on local councils letting rubbish pile up.

He said: "I usually have two weeks off around Christmas but I haven't been able to this year."

"We're tracking 30% above previous years in rat and mouse cases."

"Over 60% of our external rat callouts have been linked to poor waste management."

"This is usually linked to waste stacked up down back streets. This not only provides a food source but gives the rats harbourage points."