A man says he feels "trapped" in his own home due to ongoing vermin issues.
Tom and Sue Goulding have spent thousands of pounds over the years after rats destroyed their home, including the garden shed. But things have not improved and Tom, of Huyton House Road, said he feels he is in a constant cycle.
Despite having Environmental Health out several times, Tom said the vermin problems have caused his home to "stink" and they no longer allow their grandchildren to visit for prolonged periods of time. He told the ECHO he feels "trapped" in his own home as a result.
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The 59-year-old added: "Over the years I've had pest control out to the house numerous times. Since the introduction came out you had to pay £25, I've had them out three times and that's not cheap.
"They put poison down but then the rats just rot and the house stinks, I don't know where they've died. My dog killed a rat from under the cooker (on Friday) and the whole house just stinks.
"I won't have family come and visit, we are trapped. Our grandchildren come and we have to say they can't come in because of the smell and there's poison around, that's not right they are only babies. We won't have friends around either."
Back in 2020, Tom spoke out about a £3,500 bill after rats destroyed his garden shed. He added that on one occasion a rat had chewed through wiring in an upstairs room of the couple’s home, and Mrs Goulding described the situation as “depressing”.
Tom, who has had several operations due to his declining health said: "I've had a defibrillator fitted under my chest and my wife had COPD and has breathing problems but the two of us have been vomiting and constantly on the toilet because of the smell, it's disgusting.
"Of an evening it's quiet and you can hear them in the walls. I won't go out. I've gone blind and I can't even go out and see people but they can't come here, we are stuck here 24/7. We are constantly down and we are arguing a lot between ourselves because no-one seems to be doing anything to help.
"We pay £400 a month for this property and we are living like this."
The ECHO has previously reported on vermin problems in the Knowsley area which had been branded as "out of control" as large rats are said to be "running wild". It was previously reported that Knowsley councillors, council officers, representatives from local housing association Livv Housing and United Utilities were all out in force in a bid to tackle the situation.
A Knowsley Council Spokesperson said: "We work with partners, residents, businesses, and landlords to tackle any incident of rat infestations in the Borough. This includes sewer baiting, pest control, identifying issues that may be contributing to the problems and offering advice about prevention.
"We recently received a report relating to rats at this property and it was referred to Livv Housing Group who own this property. They are arranging for a pest control visit to take place at the property.
"We have a regular programme of multi-agency action days to target issues impacting on our residents. Our last action day took place in January 2023 and properties on Huyton House Road were visited, residents were given pest control advice and our Streetscene team removed any excess waste.
"The sewers in that area were baited in March 2022 and we are working with United Utilities on their next phase of rebaiting which will include this area. If residents have any concerns about rats in their area, please contact our Pest Control team at www.knowsley.gov.uk or our Environmental Health Team on (0151)-443 4712 or by emailing environmentalhealth@knowsley.gov.uk."
Tony Cahill, Executive Director of Property at Livv Housing Group, added: "We’re working closely with the customer and Environmental Health to rectify the issue. We’ve carried out external work to the property over the past week and have scheduled in another visit for Monday, April 3.
"We understand the problems the issue is causing and we’ll continue to work closely with the customer to make sure it’s rectified."
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