Cruel and illegal glue traps are still being sold in shops in England and by online retailers, including Amazon, ahead of Scotland’s ban coming into force on 1 July, according to new findings from Humane World for Animals UK (formerly Humane Society International). A member of the public caught using a glue trap could receive a criminal conviction across the whole of Britain from July on, yet they are widely sold for as little as £2, and almost two-thirds of the public do not know that they are illegal to use.
Campaigners say Amazon continues to market glue traps under consumer searches such as “rodent control”, “mice trap”, “vertebrate trap” and “rat trap”, despite having a policy that states “Amazon strictly prohibits the sale of glue traps intended for vertebrates (including rodents) in compliance with the Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022, and we have robust controls in place to detect and remove such products from our platform”.
Recent customer reviews of glue trap listings on the platform include distressing photographs of trapped, dead, or dying mice on the adhesive, as well as comments describing the products as effective for rodent control. One reviewer wrote that “the only downside was that the mice were still alive but completely immobilised”. Campaigners say this underlines that these products are being bought and used for vertebrates in practice, even though they are sometimes marketed as “insect traps”.
The findings come as Scotland prepares to outlaw the use, supply and possession of glue traps from 1 July under the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024, with penalties that can include imprisonment and substantial fines. Wales introduced a complete ban on the use of glue traps in 2023, while in England, the Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022 made it a criminal offence for members of the public to use rodent glue traps. Their use is only permitted by licensed professionals under a £535 Natural England licence, in tightly defined circumstances.
In March 2026, the Animal Sentience Committee warned that “the continued sale of glue traps has the effect of placing people at significant risk of breaking the law” and said there was clear evidence that glue traps remained on sale in England, both in shops and online. The Committee also noted concerns that some products suitable for trapping rodents were being rebranded as “insect” traps.
Research shows traps still widely sold
In follow-up research to findings published in July 2025, Humane World for Animals UK found glue traps still widely available in hardware stores across England in June this year, including in a shop directly opposite the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Continued availability of these products is not only undermining animal welfare protections but also creating confusion for the public about what is legal.
Polling conducted for Humane World in April 2026 found that 50% of the public do not know whether rodent control products available for purchase in the UK would be legal or illegal to use, while a further 15% believe that all rodent control products sold to the public would be legal to use. This highlights the risk of people assuming that products on sale in shops or on major online marketplaces must be lawful.
Nick Hawkes, senior wildlife campaigner at Humane World for Animals UK, says: “It is deeply concerning that glue traps are still being sold so widely, including on one of the world’s largest online marketplaces, when their use by the public is illegal, and Scotland is about to ban sale and possession outright. If these products are available on shelves and in common online search results, many people understandably assume they are lawful to buy and use. That puts animals at risk of appalling suffering and puts the public at risk of breaking the law.
“Ministers need only look out their window at Defra to see mouse and rat glue traps sold to the public for £3.99 at the hardware store across the road. Retailers should stop selling glue traps, and the UK Government should follow Scotland’s lead and ban sales in England.”
Indiscriminate cruelty
Glue traps, also known as sticky boards, are designed with a powerful adhesive that immobilises any animal who steps onto them. Animals can remain stuck for hours or even days, depending on how often a trap is checked, and may die from a combination of dehydration, suffocation and shock. In desperate attempts to escape, some animals have been known to chew at or tear off their own limbs, experiencing terrible suffering before they die.
The traps are indiscriminate, meaning species other than mice and rats can easily become stuck. Casework from the RSPCA has documented not only rodents but also non-target wildlife such as robins, owls and magpies becoming trapped and suffering serious injury or death.
Alastair Macmillan, a veterinarian and former head of Defra’s Animal Health and Welfare Evidence Base Core Team, says: “Glue traps inflict profound and prolonged suffering on any animal unfortunate enough to contact them. Entrapped rodents typically endure hours to days of acute stress, exhaustion, hypothermia, and soft tissue trauma as they struggle violently to free themselves — in many cases, degloving skin, fracturing limbs, or dislocating joints in the process. Death, when it comes, is rarely rapid. Animals die of dehydration, suffocation, or stress-induced organ failure. Where members of the public attempt to dispatch still-living animals the methods employed frequently extend the suffering further and can be illegal, such as drowning. As a veterinary professional, I consider the continued legal availability of glue traps to the public wholly incompatible with any meaningful commitment to animal welfare.”
Humane World for Animals UK are calling on all retailers to remove glue traps from sale and urging the UK Government to introduce a coordinated UK-wide ban on sales, to properly protect both animals and consumers.
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Notes to Editor
- Scotland’s ban on the use, supply and possession of glue traps is due to come into force on 1 July 2026 under the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 and related commencement regulations.
- Wales banned the use of glue traps in October 2023.
- In England, the Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022 made it an offence for members of the public to use rodent glue traps. Pest controllers may apply for licenses to use them in limited circumstances.
- The Animal Sentience Committee published its views on the Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022 on 13 March 2026.
- All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,099 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 31st March - 1st April 2026. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).