A family home overrun by rats has left a mum and her autistic daughter living in fear and suffering sleepless nights. They say the pest problem has been ongoing for five years and is now so "unbearable" that Patricia Barnes' family have stopped visiting her.
Patricia, 57, from Birkenhead, says she has had to deal with the pest issue for half a decade which has worsened over time. The mum-of-one lives in fear and is "terrified" that her autistic daughter, 22 will get bitten by the brazen rodents.
The problem is thought to stem from an empty plot of land near the house, where a nest disturbance may have led the rodents to hunt for a new place - namely the street of houses where Patricia lives. As reported in ECHO, Patricia said the problem wasn't initially severe, though it has now become serious, with "seven rats caught in the last few days."
Patricia is a full-time carer for her bed-bound mum. She said: "In the last few weeks it's gotten so much worse. My daughter is terrified through the whole night every night, disturbing every neighbour on our road. I'm now scared stiff that she'll pick one up. She's severely autistic. Yesterday as I dressed her, inside her coat pocket there were two live mice."
Patricia told the ECHO she had found mice in her clothing multiple times, or holes created by the hungry rodents. She said she "doesn't know" how they get into her home. She said: "My extended family won't even come over any more as they say it's so horrible. Me and my daughter shouldn't have to live like this, I am lost."
Patricia said she tried to get help from Sanctuary Housing, which own and manage her row of buildings but was told she would have to "pay for [pest control] or get traps".
Patricia added: "Months later [from when the problem was first reported] there has been absolutely no action. We cannot afford the constant purchasing of stick pads to catch the mice. We are literally overrun with them now. It makes me so depressed."
A spokesperson for Sanctuary said: “This issue appears to originate on waste ground not owned by Sanctuary, near the local shop and pub, and where groundwork is currently being undertaken in the area. We have made the local authority aware of the concerns that have been shared with us and also advised our tenants to contact the environmental health team locally too.
“We arranged for a specialist pest control contractor to meet with our tenant on September 5 and investigate the issue. While our contractor was unable to gain access that day, we have agreed a new appointment for September 20 and can reassure all our residents that we are taking this issue very seriously.”
Wirral Council confirmed Patricia's concerns have been passed on to their housing standards team.
