I’m a pest control expert – you must take these steps when moving a barbecue out of the shed or you could become ill

A PEST control expert has revealed the steps you must take when moving your barbecue out of the shed - or you could become seriously ill.

Stuart Halliday, 42, who runs Kill and Cure Pest Control, said that Brits risk organ failure, meningitis and even death if they don't clean their barbecues properly.

He told The Sun: "When you put the barbeque away you have got to clean it.

"What happens is we cook on them all through the summer and then we put it away for the winter without giving it a good scrub down.

"When we put into the back of the shed what happens is rats come in and start eating the grease left on the barbie.

"They get up inside and treat themselves to the leftovers from the summer."

He added: "We need to make sure now when we are taking out our barbeques again that we get rid of any nasty stuff the rats left behind over winter.

"Rat urine can make us extremely extremely ill and can lead to liver or kidney failure, or meningitis. It can kill you in seven days."

"We need to light it up so everything is red hot to kill off any germs.

"Take the grease tray out, any utensils, any cooking trays and give them a proper good scrub.

One of the infections you can catch from rat or mice urine is leptospirosis, also known as Weil's disease.

Symptoms include a high temperature, headaches, nausea, diarrhoea, aching muscles and joints, red eyes and loss of appetite.

But serious forms of the infection can lead to jaundice, rashes, swelling, chest pain, shortness of breath, inability to urinate and coughing up blood.

If you think you have severe leptospirosis, you should ask for an urgent GP appointment.

To make sure you don't catch the nasty disease, wash your hands with soap after handling anything in your shed that a rat might have burrowed around or urinated in - and don't touch a dead rat with your bare hands.

Dog owners should also make sure their pooch is vaccinated against leptospirosis.

It comes after a rat expert revealed how you can use a common kitchen staple to keep vermin out of your house.

A McDonald's restaurant was immediately shut and fined £475,000 after a drive-thru customer found mouse droppings in their cheeseburger.