Woman’s two young children left ‘terrified’ by rat infestation

A mother’s anxiety and depression are suffering as she feels as though her rat-infested house is not being dealt with properly.The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, has been left with “terrified” children following trouble with the rodents in her property on Dobby Drive in Lynn.Shortly after moving into the property in August 2020 with her two young children, she discovered rats in her loft. She contacted the Broadland Housing Association, which scheduled for APC Pest Control to tackle the issue.

She was concerned about bait being put down for them to crawl into her walls and “rot away”, but the problem continued for several years anyway.In September last year, the mother discovered the rats had gained access to the area under her kitchen kickboards.She claims the housing association was “constantly rescheduling” her appointments while the rats were going through her food cupboards.

She had to replace a large amount of food. She said: “I work hard to provide food for my kids and to have a safe environment to live in.“I can’t afford to keep replacing food so now I’m having to store my food in boxes in the living room – just so I know they’re safe and I don’t have to chuck it out not knowing if they’ve been crawling over my jar and tinned foods. “Rats had been in my tupperware cupboard, and you can imagine the fright me and my two young children are dealing with. They don’t want to go in the kitchen.

“We’ve had them accessing through the back and front of the house. The kids don’t want to play out in the garden because they’ve witnessed the rats themselves.”Broadland says it has been working with the woman to offer alternative accommodation while staff refit her kitchen and deal with the rodents.A spokesperson said: “There has been multiple visits from the pest control specialists this year to resolve the issue. “The works will be very intrusive and we have both agreed that her best option will be for her to move out of her home for the approximately a week the works will be taking place.“We will continue to work with the tenant to find her a solution that is suitable for her and her family.”But the mother-of-two added: “No matter how many times they come out to address this problem it’s going to be reoccurring, as I have the port over the road and also the North Lynn dyke”, she said.“I have told them the only way to get this done is to move me out to a more hygienic, safe, and clean home that me and my kids can live in. “It makes me feel utterly disgusting, the fact I’m being ignored and left like this.“Would they want to bring their family up in a diseased-riddled house constantly on edge and having to check under their kickboards multiple times a day?”One incident saw a rat dying in her ceiling, and it took two days before the family found it surrounded by flies and maggots.