their numbers in urban areas are increasing massively, same for lots of other scavenging pests like rats, mice and urban foxes.

Local Authorities have scaled back on refuse collection over the last decade, most are lucky if you get a general waste collection every 2 weeks rather than the traditional weekly delivery and even then these days the actual collecting is not very good because like almost anything they have cut back on the actual service. Your Bin isnt exactly outside your gate? not getting collected, a bag breaks and refuse spills out everywhere? cursory cleaning up probably leaving food for them everywhere, the town centre/local high street that used to have a dedicated street cleaner? he has 3 areas now and he will be round once a week so all the bins are overspilling and the litter/waste food is there for 3 days instead of a couple of hours.

That leaves an abundance of food all over the place hence the increase in this type of pest.

Also local Authorities pest control departments, there was an article the other day saying that about 40% of London councils will no longer provide pest control for privately owned residences. Imagine what will happen.

Its another of those unintended consequences of 15 years of "Austerity" that no one thought about.