Central Paris' 'rat invasion' caught on camera

This is the horrible moment scores of rats scuttle across a street in the Paris tourist spot of Châtelets-les-Halles on January 30.

"I saw a lot of rats, running all over the place, I was shocked to see that because until now I never saw as many rats, especially in Châtelet-Les-Halles, known for its shops and several restaurants," wrote the filmer, Sadiali Diaby.

Diaby was walking home from work around 1.30am when he came face to face with the "rat invasion".

The filmer described the scene as "horrible" and described large rats "sneaking in front of the bins."

He added: "Some even tried to tear up garbage bags on the main square; others were passing through the sewers, it was horrible!!"

According to local reports, the French capital has a population of around 3.7 million rats.

The recent rise in the level of the River Seine is suspected to be a possible reason as to why so many rodents were in the streets.