Man arrested after rodents released near mosque

A man has been arrested following reports of rodents being released near a mosque in Sheffield.

We were called to Grimesthorpe Road in Burngreave at just after 8.15pm on Monday (23 June) where it was reported a man had stopped at the side of the road and released three rats from the boot of a vehicle.

An investigation is ongoing and a 66-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of a racially or religiously aggravated public order offence. He has since been released on police bail as enquiries continue.

Inspector Alec Gibbons, of the North East Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: "We understand this reported incident has caused concern locally and I'd like to reassure you that we are working hard to understand the full circumstances of what took place.

"We have acted quickly to make an arrest and our enquiries will continue over the coming days. I'd urge anyone who has information which has not yet been reported to police to contact us online or by calling 101."

Anyone with information which may help our investigation should quote incident number 874 of 23 June 2025 when getting in touch. You can report online here: https://www.southyorkshire.police.uk/ro/report/