Couple plagued by massive rats in their garden
RODENTS SEEN UP TO 10 INCHES LONG
A HULL couple say they feel “laughed at” by the council as they struggle to cope with their garden being invaded by 10in-long rats.
For months, Stuart Lee and his frail wife, Ann have had to endure living with a rat-infested back garden in Rosedale Grove, off Spring Bank West.
The 57-year-old grandad-of-six acts as a full-time carer for his wife, who suffered a stroke several years ago. She is now terrified to go outside to her garden in case she comes face to face with one of the rodents and Mr Lee is at the end of his tether.
Mr Lee said: “It started with about three in the back garden and I initially thought it was to do with the tenfoot near our garden before thinking it was to do with this fish pond that I’ve had for 15 years.
“The council came within about a week and put down trays with poison in them. I didn’t think anything about it at first, but it’s just got gradually worse and they just keep coming back.
“They’ve been 20 to 30 times this year to put down poison and I think they are just laughing at us now.
“It’s very frustrating for me, but my wife is absolutely petrified of them. Before she had the stroke she could just get up and run away, but now she can’t move quickly.
“We have a little outhouse, which we both use to smoke in and when you sit in it you can see them running around the garden.”
Mr Lee said some of the rats he has seen are up to 10in long and the most he has seen at once is seven or eight. He has even seen them swimming in his pond.
The couple have lived in their home for 20 years and although they have seen the odd rat, this year they have been inundated.
“It’s not a nice feeling and it’s the one creature you don’t want,” Mr Lee said. “You know you’re going to get field mice and other creatures, but not rats because they carry a lot of diseases and you just want your garden to be clean and tidy.”
Mr Lee said he and his wife are reluctant to up sticks and move. The rats are yet to be seen in their home, but Mr Lee is worried that the longer the rats continue to roam, the more likely it is they will infiltrate.
“We are trying to keep them out, but I don’t know how these houses are built. They can get through anything if there is a tiny hole and there is always that possibility they could get in,” he said.
“We definitely don’t want to move and, to be honest, the thought has not crossed my mind. We’ve spent too much on the house, even though it is a council property, and we have made it our home.
“We just want rid of these damn things. We have been doing everything we can and I just don’t know what to do anymore.”
Further visits to the property have been pencilled in by Hull City Council in a bid to tackle the rat infestation.
A spokesman said: “We have been baiting for rats at this property since June this year and are receiving regular takes on our baits. This suggests that further investigation into the source of the rats is required.
“We will shortly be contacting the resident to arrange a convenient time for this to be carried out. The process of getting rid of rats does take some time and we endeavour to provide a comprehensive service not only to eradicate the existing rodents, but to trace the source of the infestation to prevent future occurrences.”