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Rentokil Pest Control has received the Innovation of the Year Award at the National Pest Awards 2025 in Manchester. The National Pest Awards are the centrepiece of the pest industry calendar, recognising those who have excelled in pest control across the UK. The awards focus on pest controllers at the coalface, and the businesses that employ them.
The Innovation of the Year category recognises the vital role that innovation plays in the pest control sector. Entries had to demonstrate a unique and novel method of dealing with a challenging pest, a new business idea or business development concept.
Rentokil Pest Control’s entry focussed on its innovative SMART Pest Control solutions, specifically the PestConnect Optix cameras. Which use AI-powered connected camera devices to provide 24/7 pest monitoring and management for real-time pest detection and identification.
This win at the prestigious industry awards comes as Rentokil Pest Control celebrates its centenary year. Founded in 1925 following Professor Harold Maxwell-Lefroy’s successful battle to eradicate deathwatch beetles from the medieval roof timbers of Parliament’s Westminster Hall, Rentokil is now a global brand recognised as the leader in pest control.
Each year, the company conducts over 25 million pest control service visits to customer premises, covering over 737 million miles in its fleet of service vehicles, with around 60,000 colleagues operating in 90 countries. Rentokil Pest Control also has a network of connected pest control devices in customers’ premises around the world, generating over 1,000 messages every minute. These alerts, ranging from rodent notifications to system diagnostics, enable rapid response and proactive pest management.
Paul Blackhurst, Head of Technical Academy at Rentokil Pest Control, commented: “We are delighted to have won the Innovation of the Year award, which recognises not only the power behind our unique technology but also the outstanding work of the Rentokil Pest Control team across the UK and globally.
“From the outset, Rentokil Pest Control has led innovation in the industry, being one of the few operators to invest significantly in primary research and development at our UK and US innovation centres. Rentokil continues to evolve rapidly, reinventing the industry with new advances in pest control technologies and more effective ways of working.
“In recent years, we have transformed pest control through digital innovation, embracing internet-connected solutions and AI. Our portfolio now includes advanced remote monitoring systems, data analytics platforms, and mobile apps, helping customers stay ahead of pest risks with smarter, more efficient services.”
