Rats 'as big as cats' take over homes as mum feels like they're 'living in prisons'

An expectant mum said she feels as if she is living in a prison as her home has been overrun by “rats bigger than cats” eating food from her cupboards.

Lucy Battle, 22, shares the home with her son Chiswick, 1, and says several neighbours had complained about the rodent problems.

However instead of helping to rid them of the vermin, the housing estate instead urged her to put food away in metal containers and to “shut their windows” to keep the animals away.

Fed up Lucy said she and her neighbours were “sick” of having to share their homes with the troublesome rats.

Expectant mum Lucy says she feels like a prisoner in her home (Lucy Battle)

Several neighbours have spoken of their frustration (Lucy Battle)

She told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “I feel like I’m living in a prison, how am I going to cope during the summer with my windows closed?

“I can’t walk to the shop without seeing them. I’ve spoken to my neighbours and they are so sick of reporting it that they have just got used to it. We are all sick of ringing the council. No one seems to do anything about it.”

“Some of them are bigger than my cats. It’s ridiculous.”

A council spokesperson said: “Council services, including pest control, waste management, cleaner neighbourhood teams and Housing Leeds continue to work together to make sure pest problems are dealt with as quickly and effectively as possible.

"We would advise anyone experiencing any problems with pests to contact the council as soon as possible so we can offer advice and guidance. Further information about preventing infestations can be found on the council’s website.”

Fed up residents were told to "close their windows" (Lucy Battle)

The rats are "bigger than cats", according to the residents (Lucy Battle)

A spokesperson for Canopy Housing added it hoped the problem would be solved “soon”.

It added: “We understand how frightening it must be for people to find rats in their homes and we always try to deal with situations like this very quickly. In this case, we were first made aware of rats within the home by e-mail this Saturday afternoon (April 15) when our offices were closed.

“We visited the property on Monday (April 17) and checked for any access points for rodents. On the same day, we instructed a pest control company to visit.

“They visited at 9.30 this morning, checked for ingress points, laid some traps, and sent us a report on the situation.

“We have ordered a follow-up visit next week, which the tenant has been asked to book directly with the pest control company at her convenience.

“We are therefore hopeful the problem will have been resolved by the time Environment Health visit.”