Mother of three living in fear of rat invasion of home “I HAD TO HAVE CHILDREN’S TOYS THROWN AWAY AND THEY CAN’T PLAY OUTSIDE BECAUSE OF RATS THREAT”
A MOTHER of three young boys has said she is living in fear of rats coming into her council house home in Charleville.
Eleanor O’Driscoll is the mother of John (7), Tyler (4) and two-year-old Paul and they live in Rosewood Drive in the North Cork town.
Eleanor has appealed to Cork County Council to help her deal with the issue of rodent infestation at her house but she says she has been told that this is her responsibility though it is a Council property.
“I’m so worried about the kids as they can’t even go out and play and all their toys have had to be thrown away.
“I’m suffering depression myself and this has made it lot worse,” she said.
Eleanor says this isn’t the first time that her family has experienced problems with the housing accommodation provided by the Council.
In 2016 the roof fell in and caused extensive damage and the Council came to do up the house as a result. Extensive renovations were carried out at that time.
According to Eleanor, the Council didn’t do a satisfactory job and she showed a number of photographs which appeared to show damage inside the house .
One of the pictures showed a hole in an interior wall while others showed damp patches in the ceiling.
“This is what they call done up,” she claimed, pointing to the damage in the photographs.
This newspaper sought a response from Cork County Council and when it came on Wednesday afternoon this is what the local authority had to say about the issues raised by
Eleanor O’Driscoll:
“Cork County Council does not comment on individual cases.
“The Council is undertaking refurbishments in a number of houses in its Rosewood Drive scheme in Charleville in conjunction with the tenants.
“Dealing with vermin is generally the responsibility of the tenant.
“The Council’s Tenant Liaison Officer will continue to work closely with tenants of Rosewood Drive, Charleville in relation to any issues they may have.”
Eleanor says her main concern is for her children whose health she feels is imperilled due to the rodents. She has laid poison for the rats but she says the problem is persisting and she is unable to cope with the task of eliminating the vermin.