A Hamilton man claims he's been left to fend a rat-infested home by himself after housing association bosses left him in the lurch.
Alan Hay has been forced to cover up holes in the walls as well as taping clingfilm over vents and small access point doors in a bid to stop a mischief of vermin from taking over his Miller Gardens property.
Alan, who lives alone, says he has been left with crippling anxiety and stress over the infestation, adding that he hasn't had a full night's sleep in weeks due to the rats scurrying around in wall cavities and ceiling at all hours of the day.
The 56-year-old rents his home from Clyde Valley Housing Association (CVHA) and believes they have done little to nothing to help the situation.
He said he has even had to bring in environmental health officers by himself after discovering a dead rat being eaten by maggots in his hall wall cavity.
Alan told Lanarkshire Live : "The last straw was opening the hatch and finding a dead rat covered in maggots in my hallway.
"It was absolutely stinking and disgusting and I shouldn't have to deal with this.
"I suffer with chronic heart disease, stress and anxiety and this is making it worse. The rats are literally everywhere and this has been an ongoing issue for three months now, with little help from Clyde Valley.
"The rats managed to get in through a hole in the wall out the back and have since made themselves at home in my ceiling and walls - I've had to tape up the observation doors so they don't get through.
"But just walking past that to get to the bedroom and bathroom gives me added stress and anxiety. It's a horrible thought having your home taken over by vermin."
Alan says he has bought filler and cement to patch up holes out his backdoor to try and prevent the rats from getting in, however, he claims the rodents have already chewed through.
He added: "I've had to tape up areas all over my home and insert bags of smelly stuff in the observation hole where pest control pulled out the dead rat.
"It was stinking and there were maggots crawling everywhere. Clyde Valley finally visited this week and said that the issue was due to food being put out the back door.
"But the food is for the foxes and I've been told to keep leaving it there by pest control as the foxes will scare away the rats. I can't win and just want this all to go away."
Alan provided Clyde Valley with photographic evidence and video footage of the rat issue at his home, saying the maggots then developed into a fly infestation, adding to his stress.
He continued: "Pest control have been out and laid more bait boxes and I've had workers in who can actively hear the rats in the walls. Something more has to be done and quick as I'm physically ill with worry through all of this."
A spokesman for CVHA commented: ““We take the health and wellbeing of all our customers very seriously and appreciate the distress this issue has caused to Mr Hay.
"Our focus has been to provide in-person support through regular visits to the property alongside working with specialists.
"Our team has met with Mr Hay many times and commissioned investigations by pest control contractors in an attempt to address the issue of infestation.
"We are working with the customer to find a solution and the team visited Mr Hay yesterday to provide support."
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