I've always had an interest in ferreting, hunting with hawks and falcons. That led to pest control. I injured my back doing construction and started this business 16 months ago. With pest control there's definitely no shovelling of concrete. I get to meet people from all walks of life. The kitchens may be bigger, but houses have the same problems whether it's owned by someone on the dole or by someone in a £20m place in Kensington. The bedbugs look the same. It can be so comical. I might get a call at 2am where someone's screaming they've got rats. Five or six rugby players have come back from the pub and someone's dropped a bit of kebab and kicked it. It's poking out from under the fridge. They think: rat.

I keep a straight face. There is a serious side, like when you have to dispatch a black rat hidden under the radiator with a high-powered C02 pistol. You should see the look on the owners' faces when you pull one out of there. I get real satisfaction and the customers are over the moon. They'll give me £10 for a drink and plenty of call backs.

Personally, I'm very happy. I just wish I'd changed careers 20 years ago. I've got a woman in Wimbledon who hates squirrels, so I set her traps. She rings me up and says things like, "We got 42." I told her we have to slow up or there'll be no more squirrels in Wimbledon. It puts you on a real high to see your work causing happiness. She even texted me when she had a baby and said, "You're part of the family now."