Rat infestation has made family of six's home 'unsafe and unusable'

The rodents got in through holes in the wall which Ryan Deeran claims were caused by the housing association Stonewater botching the refitting of the facilities.

The rats chewed through wires which made kitchen appliances unusable, and temporarily left his partner and their five children who live there without water to wash or flush the toilet.

Holes in the kitchen wall let rats invade a family's home

Ryan said: "The wall was not plastered properly so rats have got in.

"I came up to see my children during the summer holidays and was shocked. They should not be living in these conditions, it's dangerous and not healthy.

"There's rat pee and poo everywhere, there's a horrible smell coming from the walls where some of the rats have died, and a few live ones have been caught going across the kitchen floor.

Dead rats are believed to be in the walls, and live ones scurry across the floor

"Six people live in the house. Some of my children have additional needs and struggle to cope with what's happening, they don't understand why they can't go in the kitchen.

"I've been on the phone to Stonewater's emergency line for hours every week to get this sorted but at every date they're supposed to arrive or get called out within 24 hours, nothing happens and it gets delayed."

After Ryan got in touch with the Adver, the children and his partner were moved out of the Foundry Close property temporarily and the pest control problem is being addressed.

Chanelle Alum, Karlie Allum, Kaiden Deerans, Rosie Allum, Lily Allum, and Lucas Deerans have been moved out of their home due to a rat infestation.

A Stonewater spokeswoman said: "'We’re really sorry for the distress this is causing.

"After our specialist pest control contractor carried out a couple of initial treatments in response to the problem being reported, it became clear there wasn’t going to be a quick fix (as is often the case with infestations) and we moved the family into temporary accommodation nearby.

“The contractor has carried out two further treatments with more planned, and we want to be absolutely sure the issue is 100 per cent eradicated and repairs complete before returning the family to their home.

Stonewater have moved the family out while the pest control problem is addressed

"We know this may take a few more weeks so are currently looking for alternative accommodation, more suited to family living, which we can offer while we do this.

“Meanwhile, we have a dedicated colleague working with the family and are picking up all associated costs, including damage to belongings.

"We would never expect customers to live in an environment like this and are doing all we can to resolve things, as quickly as possible.”

Traps have been laid down