Misery of pregnant Lancaster mum living in council house invaded by rats

Jessica Park is 37 weeks pregnant and lives with her three children in Ryelands Road. Her baby is due to be delivered by Caesarian section in January.

“It’s just not fair,” said Jessica, 33. “I’ll be bringing a newborn baby back to a house with rats.”

Next door is an abandoned house which other residents on the estate have been using as a dumping ground for their rubbish. Jessica thinks this has attracted rats which have made their way into her home.

Jessica says she has contacted the council’s environmental services, empty homes officer and pest control but she believes they are doing the bare minimum to resolve the issues.

"Rats can carry diseases and are keeping me and my children awake. My mental health is really suffering too.”

Jessica, who works as a sales assistant at Next in Lancaster, moved into her current home five years ago and has had problems with rats every winter since.

Earlier this year, she caught a rat in the front garden and contacted the council about the ongoing problem.

“I can hear rats squealing and scratching under the floorboards and they’ve chewed carpet in my bedroom. I’ve not slept properly for weeks.”

Lancaster City Council confirmed that its pest control team responded to a report of rats inside a property in Ryelands Road and has begun treatment to deal with the problem. The pest control team baited the property and re-visited on Wednesday.

"We are also aware of the unsightly problem of household and bulky waste being illegally disposed of in the garden and on the pavement of the adjacent property," said a council spokesperson.

"This is a private property and permission has been granted by the owner's family for the rubbish to be removed from the land soon.

"Our empty homes officer has also been made aware of the problems which often arise when properties remain empty and has been in contact with the complainant to explain the current situation, in terms of it being brought back into use."

Jessica said the pest control officer who visited this week left four large trays of poison in the loft and all had been eaten. He plans to re-visit on January 3.

Ideally, Jessica wants to be re-housed and had been offered a tenancy in Heysham but said it was unrealistic as her job is in Lancaster and her children, aged six, 10 and 13, are all settled in nearby schools.