A mum-of-three says her family is living in a slug infestation nightmare as she pleads for a new council house.
Jade Lockhart has found the slimy creatures slithering over her two-year-old son’s bottle and even in her kettle during their four-year hell.
The 35-year-old mum also claims doctors believe the slug problem in the family's home is making her asthmatic son’s condition worse.
Jade is pleading with council bosses to find her a new home for her and her three kids, saying she cleans the house every day and salts her skirting boards - but the creepy little critters just keep coming back.
East Ayrshire Council said this week they've carried out a range of remedial works in the past three years but pinpointing the source of the slug lair can be "difficult".
The mum of three in Kilmarnock, Scotland, told the Daily Record : "They've been coming into the house non-stop for the last four years.
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"Could you imagine getting up in the morning to make your wean a bit of toast and pulling it out the toaster and there's a slug on it?
"Or you put your hand on the fridge handle and the first thing you're touching is a slug or you come downstairs to get your wean a bottle and your standing in about 10 of them?"
"It's no way for anyone to live."
The situation has become so bad that the family has been put in temporary accommodation while council workers try to resolve the matter.
But Jade says local authority workers ripped up the flooring and re-sheeted the surface at the Broomhill Quadrant home in Shortlees and it did not fix the issue.
"Environmental health came out and said that the slugs aren't coming from the back door, they're coming from underneath the house in the foundations and they can fit through the smallest of gaps," she added.
"My son Alfie has really bad asthma.
"My doctor says that he's not well because of all of this. I got told from a social worker and another two health professionals we shouldn't be living here because he's been unwell because of this. He has a really bad cough.
"They've been on his bottle, his dummy and toys through the night and he's getting up in the morning and playing with them all and obviously putting them to his mouth."
And the infestation has taken its toll on Jade too.
The mum says she's cleaning the house every day and the situation is making her ill.
Jade said: "I've lost about three stone in weight. I've not been able to eat. It makes me physically sick.
"They've been in my kettle and everything.
"My house isn't black, I'm quite a clean person and i've got a lot of family help too. I have to hoover and wash the floors every night.
"The first I've been able to eat has been in the temporary housing but this is only going to be for a couple of weeks.
"I don't want back in that house."
Jade says she's thrown out three sofas and other household items ruined by roaming slugs.
She said: "They come up through the floorboards and I've even found them in my washing machine.
"They've ruined my furniture. I've lost three couches through this I've had to chuck out them out.
"I clean the couches but slugs eat dog poo and things like that so there's only so many times you can clean them. It's mentally draining me."
Jade says she's been on the council's housing list for a year but she's still at the slug-infested property.
In a desperate bid to get rid of the creatures, Jade's resorted to dousing her skirting boards with salt but it hasn't deterred them.
And despite her best efforts, the slimy beasts still slither out from under her house in the dead of night and wreak havoc in the home.
Jade continued: "I'd say there's easily hundreds of slugs coming into the house each week.
"I've been told to put salt round my skirting boards and they still come every night.
"I can't take much more."
Blair Millar, strategic lead for housing, East Ayrshire Council said: "We have been working with Miss Lockhart since October 2019 following reports of slugs within her property.
"We're working hard to alleviate the problems Miss Lockhart and her family have been experiencing. We've carried out a range of remedial works in the property, however It can be difficult to establish the source of an infestation.
"Since the initial report in 2019, extensive works have been carried out, including overlaying the flooring and sealing of skirting boards in the living-room, bathroom and hall. Numerous repairs have been carried out in the kitchen too, with kick-plates removed, gaps filled between the floor and walls and we've sealed the skirting boards.
"We've recognised the inconvenience of repair work on the family, and have provided them with temporary accommodation to minimise disruption, whilst our Housing Asset Services and Environmental Health Teams carry out further investigations to rectify the situation.
"Miss Lockhart has an active application for rehousing and we will continue to provide her with advice and assistance on her current tenancy and future housing options."
