Residents in North Belfast have called on the council and DFI to sort out an overgrown alleyway which runs alongside their homes.
The alleyway at Manor Street has been described by locals as "something like like the Amazon" and there have been reports that rats are entering their homes, coming from the alley. Belfast Live has been shown footage of the rats, and told that the situation is compounded by the inability to bring bins out, due to the state of the space.
One resident told Belfast Live that the situation is out of control, and says her mother has been there for the last 30 years and things have "never been this bad".
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"The entry is literally like the Amazon, the weeds are up to your shoulders," she added.
"You can't get your bins out, it is challenging. We went up the other night and you are walking through a forest. Some residents haven't been able to get their bins up.
"We sat in mummy's living room and counted about 20 rats in the space of three hours, it is awful. I have had rats in my house, the neighbours have had them too. They were running around my kitchen, it was terrible. They must just be breeding and breeding.
"We have been in touch with the council, and it seems nobody wants to claim it. There's no way for us to get our bins out. Our neighbour closed off her outer back, and started to take her bin in through her house. It is awful."
A Department for Infrastructure spokesperson told Belfast Live that it has "no specific statutory obligation to remove weeds, other than in relation to the control of noxious weeds and has policies and procedures in place in relation to weed control, aimed at ensuring the safety of road users and preventing the deterioration of the road pavement".
"The Department has been operating in a challenging budgetary position for some time and this has had an impact on all road maintenance activities," the spokesperson added.
"However, weed treatment within the Belfast City Council area is currently ongoing and treatment in Manor Street has been completed while further arrangements have been made to clear the weeds in the alleyway. It should be noted that it could take approximately 14-21 days for visible evidence of weed dieback from the date of treatment.
"While pest control and cleansing is a matter for the local council, we will continue to work in conjunction with them to have these issues addressed.
"The Department will continue to work hard to ensure our limited funding is targeted at areas of greatest need."
A Belfast City Council spokesperson they were "aware of reports of rats in this area".
"Our team has visited the street again today," it said in a statement to Belfast Live on Thursday.
"Since April, we have baited sewers in the vicinity and called out on multiple occasions to offer advice to residents, following complaints.
"We are working closely with the Department for Infrastructure, who look after the alley behind Manor Street, to urgently progress the removal of weeds in this area and enable bins stored in this section of the street to be emptied as scheduled.
"Any specific issues with pests can be reported to us by calling 028 9027 041 or emailing pestcontrol@belfastcity.gov.uk."
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