Residents left in fear of ‘rats as big as cats’

Residents left in fear of ‘rats as big as cats’

30 January 2019

TERRIFIED residents in Downpatrick have appealed for help to end their “living nightmare” in homes plagued by rats.

Church View residents say they cannot take anymore and are concerned that the problem will only get worse if urgent action isn’t taken.

They claim rats have invaded their properties, gnawing through electric cables resulting in power cuts.

One resident, whose metre box went on fire, has blamed rats for starting the blaze and neighbours are urging Clanmill Housing Association — which is responsible for the homes — to help them as they say they have had enough.

The houses were redeveloped a number of years ago and converted from three-storey to two-storey homes, with the former ground floor filled in. Residents believe this is how rats are getting into their homes and climbing up cavity walls and into their roof space.

Lillian Swaffield said residents should not have to put up with “intolerable living conditions” and appealed to housing officials to help.

“We should not have to put up with living in homes infested with rats, some of which are as big as cats,” she declared. “My power went off last week and when I called an electrician he discovered that the rats had gnawed their way through an electrical cable.

“There were also large deposits of rat pings which proves the vermin have been there for some considerable time. We should not have to live like this and it is frightening for all of us, especially our children and grandchildren.”

Lillian explained that an electrician who was able to provide her with a temporary fix and restore power to her home, admitted that he had never seen anything like it before in his life. 

“Clearly the rats are in the roof space and it is horrendous. My daughter, who lives nearby and has two small children, is very afraid for their safety. 

“Light bulbs have been blowing for years and my metre box even went on fire. I have no doubt that rats were responsible and while we have been having problems for a long time, no one appears to be listening to us,” she continued.

Lillian says residents believe all the homes along Church View are “plagued by rats” and that the issue needs to be investigated urgently.

“What if the rats start eating their way through other electrical cables and fire breaks out?” she asked. “I looked into my own roof space and found evidence of rats. It appears they are breeding and could potentially swamp all the homes. We need action now before this problem gets worse. What frustrates us most is that we have not been listened to.”

Councillor Billy Walker, who joined residents for a meeting with Clanmill officials on Monday afternoon, believes the social housing provider needs to order an immediate examination of the electrical wiring in all the Church View homes. He also believes money needs to be earmarked to rewire the properties.

“First and foremost, pest control experts need to deal with the rats problem,” declared Cllr Walker. “Residents are living in intolerable conditions with children afraid to stay in their homes. I have looked at photographs taken in one home and the size of the rats, the volume of waste they have created and the damage to electrical cables is frightening. Residents are rightly concerned that rats gnawing on live cables could start a fire.”

The politician said one child suffered from illness and claimed that when residents raised their concerns with housing officials they were “pushed from pillar to post”.

Cllr Walker continued: “Rats are literally running everywhere. It is believed they got into the homes via old basements which were covered up and then climbed up the inside of cavity walls. Given the evidence I have seen, there are huge numbers of rats and this issue needs to be addressed urgently.

“It beggars belief that in the 21st century residents are having to live like this. Their homes are a major fire risk and I appreciate Clanmill’s commitment to do all it can to address what is a health and safety issue.”

A Clanmill spokeswoman said yesterday that the organisation received a report about a pest issue from a tenant at Church View on December 4.

She said that while a contractor visited the woman’s home, he did not find any evidence of pests at that time.

“A contractor working at the property on January 23 reported evidence of pests to us. Our maintenance officer and contractor visited the house and a pest control treatment programme is now in place,”she said.

“Inspections of the other houses are taking place today to determine the extent of the issue. Immediate action will be taken as required based on the outcome of these investigations.

“Clanmill is keeping its tenants and local representatives up-to-date as we progress with this.”