ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

A video showing a swarm of rats in a bin in Paris has trigged a debate about the cleanliness of the French capital.

The footage shows dozens of rodents stuck inside a container and attempting to leap out. It was filmed by a refuse collector who said his colleagues had been attacked by vermin while working.

"A colleague told me that a rat had jumped to his throat and another to his arm," the worker, who did not give his name, told Le Parisien.

The video was shot in December between the Musée d'Orsay and the Pont Royal along the banks of the River Seine.

"For a year, there has been a proliferation of rats in all the areas bordering the Seine," the man added. "In the morning, we back away [from the bins]."

Officials from Paris's City Hall have said they are aware of the problem and are seeking to address it.

Mao Peninou, the city's deputy mayor for cleanliness told Le Parisien: "All the departments involved have taken the problem head on."

He added €1.5 million had been released to tackle the problem of vermin.