Cockroaches in the UK: How to Identify and Get Rid of Them

If you have searched cockroach UK after finding one on the kitchen floor, you have almost certainly found one of two insects. Redbridge Council says only the Oriental and German species are commonly found in this country, and Lambeth Council names the same two for its borough. The American and brown-banded cockroaches do turn up, but the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) describes them as occasional finds.

Check three things. How long is it, leaving out the antennae? What colour is it? Where and when did you see it? A tan insect about the length of a fingernail, darting behind the cooker at midnight, points to a German cockroach. A dark, heavier insect moving across a damp basement floor or near a drain points to an Oriental.

Do not squash it if you can help it. Trap it under a clear glass, or put a dead one on white paper or clear tape, and photograph it next to a ruler. Sources differ a little on sizes, so we use the BPCA's figures below and show the wider council ranges in the next section. Take your photo and use the table to narrow it down.

The German cockroach is the small one. The BPCA gives 10 to 15 mm, while Gravesham Borough Council says 13 to 16 mm and Midlothian Council 12 to 15 mm. Look for two dark stripes running back from the head. Those stripes are the most useful clue, because Oxford City Council simply calls the species dark brown and Gravesham says it can look tan, brown or almost black. It loves warmth and moisture: the BPCA says its nickname is the steam fly, and that you should look behind ovens and fridges with warm motors.

The Oriental cockroach is the one most people picture. The BPCA gives 20 to 24 mm, Redbridge up to 25 mm, Gravesham 18 to 29 mm, and Rochdale Borough Council about 30 mm, so treat any dark insect in that range as a candidate. It is shiny and heavy-looking. Penn State Extension says females have only small wing pads and males have wings covering about three-quarters of the abdomen. It is also the hardier species. The BPCA says it thrives in cool, damp basements and drains, and may occasionally be seen around outdoor bin areas in summer.

Height in the building is a useful clue. Midlothian Council says the Oriental cannot climb smooth surfaces, while German cockroaches climb them easily, and Penn State says Orientals usually stay at or below ground level and are seldom seen on walls or upper floors. Rochdale Borough Council describes cockroaches in general as able to climb smooth vertical surfaces, so this is a pointer and not proof. Still, a cockroach inside a high wall cupboard is more likely to be a German than an Oriental.

The American cockroach is the largest. The BPCA gives around 20 to 30 mm and Penn State roughly 1.5 inches, about 38 mm, which is a wide gap, so go by colour and shape too. It is reddish-brown with fully developed wings. The BPCA says it is not always found in UK homes and businesses, and that when it is, it is usually in dark, humid and undisturbed places such as basements. If you think you have found one in a flat, get it confirmed from a clear photo before assuming anything about the source.

The brown-banded cockroach is about the same size as a German, 10 to 15 mm. The BPCA says it favours warm, humid places including ceilings, attics and the inside of appliance motors. That matters for treatment: if you see small cockroaches away from the kitchen and bathroom, tell whoever is treating them, so the bait is not limited to the usual places.

Dark beetles cause most false alarms. The BPCA says ground beetles can be about the same size as an Oriental cockroach, but they do not have the very long, whip-like antennae, and many have an iridescent shine. A cockroach has a flat oval body, antennae about as long as its body or longer, and a quick, jerky run. If your insect is rounder, has short antennae and walks slowly, it is more likely to be a beetle. Tiny patterned beetles near carpets or wardrobes are a different problem, covered in our carpet beetle guide.

Britain also has native cockroaches, which surprises people. The Wildlife Gardening Forum lists three: the tawny, dusky and lesser cockroaches. They are 5 to 11 mm long, live outdoors on rough grass and scrub, and are rarely recorded even in gardens. They are not pests. They are mainly found in southern England, with the lesser mostly near the coast. A single small insect that does not match the indoor species, with no droppings or egg cases, does not justify treatment on its own.

Our recommendation is simple. If you have a photograph and no other signs, send the photo before you pay for anything. If you have droppings, egg cases or more than one live insect, skip the identification debate and move to the next step, because the treatment plan for German and Oriental cockroaches starts the same way: a survey of where they are hiding. A pest inspection settles it if you are unsure.

Cockroaches avoid light. Redbridge Council warns that they rarely show themselves in daylight, so infestations can go unnoticed until they are extensive. That is why the signs they leave matter more than a sighting. Hastings Borough Council adds that if you see one, there are likely to be many more. Seeing one in daylight is a good reason to look harder that same evening.

Pick a time after dark, wait a few minutes, then go into the kitchen with a torch and turn the light on quickly. Check the places where warmth, water and a crack meet: under the sink, behind the cooker and fridge, around the boiler and washing machine, along the kickboards under the units, and behind the bath panel if it lifts away. Look for the signs below, and photograph what you find before cleaning it up.

Cockroaches do not need a dirty house. They need warmth, water, food and somewhere to hide, and almost any kitchen offers all four. Rochdale Borough Council says they can survive for several months without food but only a few days without water, which is why leaks and damp sink cupboards matter so much. Food can be as simple as grease behind a cooker or crumbs under a toaster.

There are three common ways in. The first is carried in. Penn State Extension says German cockroaches come in with boxes, grocery bags and suitcases, and the BPCA warns about second-hand fridges and freezers. If you have recently moved, had a delivery or bought a used appliance, that is a reasonable place to start. The second is through the building, along pipes, ducts and shared voids, which we cover below. The third is up from below: the BPCA says cockroaches move from sewers and drains into buildings, and Gravesham Borough Council describes Oriental cockroaches using drains and damp basements.

The BPCA also says cockroaches can pass through gaps as small as a quarter of their body size, so a neat-looking kitchen can still have plenty of routes. Hastings Borough Council says that once conditions suit them, an infestation establishes itself quickly. Use the location of what you find to work out the source. Droppings behind one appliance suggest it came in with you. Activity around a pipe boxing in several rooms suggests the building. Activity near a floor drain or basement door suggests the drains.

Faster than most people expect, and this explains why treatment takes more than a single visit. Cockroaches go through three stages: egg, nymph and adult. Females produce capsules called oothecae, which we call egg cases here. Redbridge Council says these hold 8 to 30 eggs depending on the species, and the BPCA gives about 30 or more for a German and 16 to 18 for an Oriental. Penn State Extension puts the German figure as high as 30 to 48 and City of Westminster at up to thirty, so about 30 is a fair working number.

The two species behave differently, and that changes treatment. The BPCA says a German female carries her egg case until the nymphs are nearly ready to hatch, about 28 days on average, so the eggs travel with her into hiding. An Oriental female drops hers in a dark crevice long before it hatches, and the BPCA says incubation takes around two months. City of Westminster says six to twelve weeks. That dropped case sits hidden in a gap while treatment takes place.

Young cockroaches then take time to mature. The BPCA gives six to 12 weeks for a German and six to 12 months for an Oriental. Redbridge Council says both species are sexually mature at about four months, and Penn State's ranges are longer again, because temperature and food make a big difference. For a heated London flat, assume the fast end for Germans.

Sources also disagree on egg case output. Oxford City Council says up to eight a month, City of Westminster says four to eight capsules at monthly intervals, and Penn State says four to eight in a lifetime. Whichever is right for your home, the practical lesson is the same: a few survivors or one hidden batch of eggs can restart the problem, so plan for bait that stays active and for at least one follow-up visit.

Much of London lives in buildings that suit cockroaches very well: purpose-built blocks, ex-council estates and Victorian houses split into flats. The BPCA says both the German and Oriental species are often found around the heating ducts and boiler rooms of large, centrally heated buildings, and Rochdale Borough Council also lists heating ducts, cellars and basements. City of Westminster says they infest all types of building, from blocks of flats to industrial premises, hiding around sinks, drains, cookers, skirting boards and service ducts.

The route matters because a treated flat can be re-entered. Pipes that serve several flats often run through a shared riser, with boxed-in gaps behind the kitchen units and bath. A pipe hole left unfilled under your sink can connect to the same space as next door's. Hastings Borough Council is direct on this: in a building with more than one dwelling, it says the whole building must be treated for treatment to be effective.

That does not always happen, so work out where you stand. If the signs started around the pipes, more than one flat is affected, or the problem returned after an earlier treatment, ask your landlord, freeholder or managing agent whether anyone else has reported it and who looks after the risers and common parts. Leaseholders should also check their lease for who repairs and pays for those parts. Councils vary: Redbridge Council, for example, charges per household, and books flats and rooms in a split property separately, so a block-wide job is not automatic.

Our advice is to knock on a door or two, or leave a polite note. Cockroaches carry a stigma, so many neighbours stay quiet until the problem is large. In the meantime, seal what you can on your side, and keep records. If you manage a block or an HMO, ask us about pest control contracts for shared areas. The service page explains how ongoing work is scoped, and the price is confirmed in writing.

The hour after you find one is about gathering evidence, removing easy food and water, and avoiding anything that makes treatment harder. You do not need to empty the kitchen or leave home. City of Westminster warns that cockroaches do not disappear of their own accord, so start now and do not wait to see if it happens again.

Bait is the better first choice, particularly for German cockroaches. The BPCA says most professional treatments now rely on bait, such as gel or powders, and that residual sprays are used less since baits arrived. City of Westminster, Oxford, Redbridge and Haringey councils all describe gel-based treatments. Gel goes into the cracks where cockroaches live and is eaten, so it can reach insects you never see. Redbridge says its gel is slow-acting, affects only cockroaches and keeps working for up to two months.

Sprays have a real problem. Illinois Extension reports a 2024 University of Kentucky study of shop-bought products on German cockroaches: when exposure was limited to 30 minutes, mortality was below 20 per cent for every treatment tested. Pyrethroids, the usual ingredient, are slightly repellent, so the insects tend to walk through and not stay on the treated surface. The products were American, so UK results may differ, but the behaviour is the same point. Penn State Extension goes further and says residual sprays and foggers are of little value and can scatter cockroaches, making control harder.

Sources do not fully agree. City of Westminster says shop-bought insecticides with a knockdown and residual effect are the best DIY choice, and Rochdale Borough Council lists residual sprays as one control option. Lambeth Council and the BPCA still keep spray for heavily infested areas or the edges of an infestation, so it is not useless. Our recommendation is to treat spray as a professional's supporting tool, used in the right place, and to avoid it as your first move. Sticky traps are another tool: the BPCA and Rochdale both say they are for monitoring and will not solve the problem.

You can try for one or two recent sightings with no signs of breeding, in a house with no shared walls or pipes. Beyond that, we would not recommend it. The BPCA says control is seldom easy because of the difficulty of getting insecticide to the insect. Midlothian Council advises against treating cockroaches yourself, and Gravesham Borough Council says over-the-counter products are less effective than professional ones. Illinois Extension agrees that DIY gel baits are better than sprays, but still unlikely to match thorough professional treatment.

If you decide to try, use bait stations or gel from a reputable retailer that are clearly labelled for cockroaches. Put them in small amounts close to the signs you have found, such as under the sink, behind the fridge and beside pipe entries, and out of reach of children and pets. Do not spray near them, because you want cockroaches to feed and sprays can scatter them. Do not apply anything to food surfaces unless the label allows it.

Stop and get help if any of these apply: you are seeing them in daylight, you have found egg cases or nymphs, more than one room is affected, you live in a flat, someone in the home has asthma or is pregnant, or there is a baby in the home. The same applies if you keep fish, because Redbridge Council and City of Westminster both mention risks or precautions for them. Set a limit too: if sticky traps are still catching insects after two weeks, pay for a professional opinion instead of buying another product.

A good cockroach exterminator, or pest controller as most UK firms say, starts with a survey and not a spray. The BPCA describes a systematic approach that looks for hiding places and assesses the level of infestation before choosing a treatment. Expect questions about when you see them, which rooms are affected, whether neighbours have them, and whether anyone in the home has health concerns. Have your photos ready.

Cockroach treatment normally means more than one visit. Lambeth Council usually makes two visits two weeks apart, with gel under sink cabinets, around door hinges and in other affected places, and spray for heavily infested areas. Haringey Council makes three visits to check progress and lay new bait, treating the kitchen, bathroom and hot water tank cupboard. Wandsworth Council's charge also covers three visits. If someone offers a single visit for an established infestation, ask how it deals with eggs that have not yet hatched.

Preparation helps. Haringey Council asks residents to clean kitchen surfaces, cupboards, shelves and floors, including around the fridge, washing machine and cooker, as well as bathroom floors and skirting boards. The BPCA adds that broken tiles and other hiding places should be made good and sealed. City of Westminster says you can stay at home during gel and bait station treatment, should leave for about 20 minutes after a spray, and should cover fish tanks. If a less common ultra-low volume treatment is used, it says you must leave for about 2 to 4 hours. Follow what your own provider tells you.

Afterwards, do not panic if you see more activity. City of Westminster says some treatments contain an attractant, so a short increase around treated areas is normal, and you should not kill those insects, because they can carry the treatment further. Redbridge Council says you must not clean the gel off, usually sees a reduction within 10 to 14 days, and warns that eggs laid before treatment will keep hatching. City of Westminster says most infestations take six to twelve weeks to control. Keep the paperwork, which councils call an advice sheet or Notice to Occupier, as it records the product used and where it was placed.

Redbridge Council describes its insecticides as posing no risk to people or pets, except fish, while City of Westminster tells residents it is their responsibility to keep children and pets well away from pesticides. We would follow the more cautious advice and keep them away from every placement. Lambeth Council says it takes measures to protect children and pets, and any provider should be able to explain theirs before starting.

They are a real hygiene problem, but finding one does not mean anyone will get ill. City of Westminster says cockroaches feed on almost anything, including faecal matter, and have been found to carry disease-causing bacteria on their bodies, which pass to anything they touch. Hastings Borough Council names salmonella, E. coli, staphylococcus and shigella. Oxford City Council refers to dysentery and gastro-enteritis, and Redbridge Council adds typhoid and polio to its list. None of these pages says how often this happens in UK homes, so treat those lists as a reason for good kitchen hygiene and not as a forecast.

The other concern is allergens. Allergy UK says cockroach allergens in saliva, droppings and body parts can trigger allergic rhinitis, with risk higher in urban areas with large cockroach populations. Hastings Borough Council says they are a source of allergens that can cause dermatitis, rhinitis, bronchitis and asthma. The NHS page on allergic rhinitis does not list cockroaches among its main causes, so if symptoms are troubling you, do not assume the cause. The NHS says to see a GP if your symptoms get worse, your asthma is getting worse, or symptoms affect your sleep or daily life.

Food poisoning symptoms, as the NHS lists them, include feeling or being sick, diarrhoea, tummy pain and a high temperature. We cannot tell you why anyone is unwell, so follow NHS advice. Call 111 if you are worried about a baby under 12 months old, if diarrhoea lasts more than 7 days, or if vomiting lasts more than 2 days. Call 999 or go to A&E for severe symptoms such as vomiting blood, severe difficulty breathing or sudden confusion.

Bites should not be your main worry: the BPCA says they are incredibly rare. If you have itchy marks in lines or groups and no signs of cockroaches, read our guide to bed bugs vs fleas instead. Throw away any uncovered food that has droppings on or near it, and clean the area, plates and utensils before you use them again.

There is no single rule for cockroaches, so the answer turns on the cause and on the tenancy. In England, Citizens Advice says a tenant may be responsible if they caused the problem, such as by not disposing of rubbish properly. A landlord is likely to be responsible if the agreement requires the home to be kept in a good and habitable state, if unrepaired defects such as holes in walls caused it, or if the infestation makes the home unsafe or affects health. Citizens Advice also says landlords are usually only responsible once they know, so report it straight away.

Several laws sit behind this. Shelter explains that landlords must repair the structure and exterior under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, and that a rented home must be fit for habitation throughout the tenancy. The Act's list of fitness matters does not name pests, but it includes prescribed hazards under the Housing Act 2004. The latest government tenant guide lists domestic and personal hygiene as a hazard and says homes should be kept free from pests and potential entry by pests. If a home has a serious hazard, the council can take enforcement action.

Councils have other powers too. Section 83 of the Public Health Act 1936 requires a local authority to act where premises are filthy, unwholesome or verminous, and it can serve notice on the owner or occupier. Section 79 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 makes premises in a state prejudicial to health or a nuisance a statutory nuisance. Insects from premises are listed separately, but that entry only covers industrial, trade or business premises in England and Wales. Wandsworth Council gives a practical view: a recent infestation in a home you have lived in for some time is generally yours to arrange, but where clear structural defects caused it, it expects the landlord to pay for treatment and proofing.

For council and housing association homes, Awaab's Law is the one to watch. Citizens Advice says an emergency hazard must be made safe within 24 hours, and Shelter says these can include pests. From 30 November 2026, subject to Parliament's approval, government guidance says the rules extend to domestic hygiene hazards that present a significant risk of harm. The guidance gives gaps in walls and skirting that lead to infestation as an example of a maintenance failure, and warns landlords not to assume a tenant's habits are the cause. The rules do not yet apply to private renting: the government is consulting until 18 December 2026 on how to extend them.

Private tenants may also worry about being asked to leave. Shelter notes that since 1 May 2026, most private tenancies in England have become assured tenancies and landlords cannot serve section 21 notices on those tenants. Keep your written report, photos and replies. If you are moving out, keep the treatment record and see our end of tenancy cleaning checklist, because any bait left behind and any cleaning after treatment need planning.

Once numbers fall, prevention means removing what they need and closing what they use. The best order is water first, then food, then gaps, then clutter. Do this while bait is working, but check with your provider before you clean around placements. Redbridge Council's warning about not removing gel means you should not scrub those exact spots until you are told it is safe.

You can send us a photo and tell us where and when you see them, which rooms are affected, and whether you live in a flat or shared building. Our cockroach control starts from £119. We inspect, plan targeted treatment and give you a safety report. Price, visits and inclusions are confirmed in writing before booking.

Because cockroaches normally need follow-up visits, we offer packages. A 2-visit package includes a follow-up and a written 1-month guarantee, and a 3-visit package includes proofing recommendations and a written 3-month guarantee. These prices, from our prices page, are shown by property size. The final cockroach exterminator price depends on the extent of activity, the property, access around appliances, preparation and the number of visits.

For comparison, Redbridge Council lists cockroach treatment at £230, and Wandsworth Council charges £214 for 3 visits, or £107 for people on its concessions. Our Ilford pest control page sets the Redbridge figures against ours, and our UK pest control cost guide explains what moves prices in general. Council charges and scope change, so check your own borough before you decide, as some councils offer reduced rates for people on certain benefits.

We are based on Clements Road in Ilford and cover London, with pest control services for homes, landlords and businesses. We carry public liability insurance. Our phone lines are open Monday to Saturday, 8am to 8pm. If you manage premises, see commercial pest control. For other insects in your home, see silverfish treatment, or contact us with a photo.