As revealed in the Reporter last month, Sophie McColl, 30, her partner Derek Ireland, 31 and their two year-old daughter Amy, have been living in fear as the rodents overrun their home – even finding carcases in kitchen drawers. But with landlords West Dunbartonshire Council unresponsive to their plight, Sophie says they have been forced to look for a private solution. She said: “I’m looking for a private let as we have no other choice now. “We’ve found more dead rats and the council have done little to nothing. “I’ve started selling off my little girl’s toys and my own belongings to get the money together for a deposit. “It’s for her really, there’s mould in her room, and rats in the flat. I don’t want her staying here so I’m moving. I need security for her. It’s hard to get a flat without a deposit but I’m saving everything I can so we can leave.” Sophie, who has lived in the flat for almost four years, says West Dunbartonshire Council sent out a maintenance man, who plastered the kitchen and left. She told the Reporter: “They covered the holes in the wall, but never laid any poison. My partner has killed a few with traps we put down, but the council are saying the flat is secure and they won’t change their minds. “I’ve found them in the loft and the kitchen, and you can hear them scurrying around. When I found a dead one last week, I phoned to report it and they just told me to throw it in the bin, but I’m afraid that will attract more.” Sophie says it is well known in the area that Brucehill has a problem with rats, but said council can’t tackle the bigger problem. She added: “Just last week I spoke to a neighbour in Graham Avenue whose dog has been bitten after two rats jumped on its back. Every street in the area has a house that has rats. The council has said they are doing all they can, but I can’t go on like this, so I’m moving.” The Reporter asked West Dunbartonshire Council why it had not made the property pest-free in the wake of the initial article. A council spokeswoman said: “We do recognise how stressful and concerning this situation is for the family and would like to reassure them that our officers are doing everything they can to resolve this matter. “Evidence has been found that there have been rats present in the loft area of the property. Since their last visit on February 27, officers from Pest Control have attempted to access the property six times in order to remove poison bait from the loft and kitchen areas and re-assess the situation, and each time have been unable to gain entry. “We would therefore advise the tenants to contact Environmental Health urgently to arrange a suitable time for officers to attend. “The tenants have also been asked to remove the rubbish from their garden, which is their responsibility and may be contributing to the problem. However on our most recent re-inspection of the garden, the rubbish had still not been cleared.” Ian Murray, SNP councillor for Dumbarton which includes Brucehill says he has not had any reports of a bigger rodent problem in Brucehill: “I personally have had no reports of that problem at all. There’s no suggestion that this is a wider issue. However, I would be immediately on to the environmental department about this, that is the department they’d need to be looking to. “I’m really concerned that she does have this problem. I’d be happy to raise it with environmental health and will do right now. It’s understandable that this family are worried and looking elsewhere. I understand clearing hedges, whilst this may be a nesting point for them, if there is evidence in the house of rat infestation, environmental health need to address it urgently.” Ian Murray confirmed to the Reporter he would speak to environmental health on behalf of the McColl family. Independent councillor George Black told the Reporter he understands the family’s worries: “I’ve personally not heard anything, and I’ve got a fairly good relationship with the people in Brucehill, any one with issues is usually sorted quickly. Sophie should get in touch with me to escalate this up to housing officers. I’m happy to escalate the issue for her. What we obviously need is a multi-agency approach, housing and environmental health and all appropriate departments working together for residents.”