Dumbarton mum hits out after toddler finds rat in house

The woman told the Reporter that she and her five children have been living in a council-owned homeless unit in the town since January after fleeing a domestic violence relationship.

She said she first noticed some of her belongings had been chewed in April and, after a visit from West Dunbartonshire Council [WDC], she was reportedly “led to believe it was mice”.

However, around two weeks ago, she claims her three-year-old son began screaming after finding a large rodent in his room.

She said: “Everything was okay until April when I discovered stuff in my cupboard had been chewed.

"I automatically phoned the council and they came out and, as far as I was led to believe, it was mice.

“So they put bait down in the back of the cupboard and I was told they would come out weekly to check on it.

“Around a month ago I saw my washing bag had been chewed and I phoned them out again but, after speaking to people in the community, I found out about the rats.

“Apparently, the person that left the house before we moved in found a rat upstairs.

“Two weeks ago, my wee boy, who is almost four, started screaming that there was a rat upstairs in his bedroom.

“I contacted the council and they told me that the rats are caused by our pet rabbit in the garden.

"I’m not sleeping and now my seven-year-old doesn’t want to come home because of the rats.

“Pest control has been out four or five times to lay bait but they’re not actually trapping these rats.”

It is understood that a repairs team from WDC visited the property earlier this week and cut away floorboards and put down expanding foam in an effort to plug any gaps that the rodents could be entering the home through.

The local authority also offered the family an opportunity to move to a three-bedroom property elsewhere in the region, however they declined as they felt it would not be suitable.

During this process, the woman claims that she also discovered a large number of flying insects in almost every room in her home.

She added: “Two weeks ago I was in my kitchen and it looked like there was a god-almighty infestation of flying insects.

“They’re also in the upstairs bathroom, my bedroom, and my daughter’s room.

"It’s horrible, they’re all over everything, even my baby’s bottle steriliser. Environmental health came out and took a sample of the flies to test and they came back and said they are drain flies.

“They’ve been out this week to run water, flush the toilets, and clear the drains. They’re also lifting the floor to check for stagnant water.

“The council has given me three options; take a three-bedroom property elsewhere, stay where we are, or make my own accommodation arrangements.

“I’ve just managed to settle the kids in school and nursery after moving four times in a year due to our situation.

“It’s not that I’m being picky, I’ve got to stay local, I’ve got to meet the kids' needs.

"My anxiety and stress levels have never been so high. I just gave birth around six months ago, and with everything we’ve been through, I thought we were finally starting to get settled into a community.

“I am constantly on edge.”

A WDC spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear this tenant is unhappy with the service and we continue to liaise with her while this situation is ongoing.

“Officers from Environmental Health have visited several times to treat the issue and will continue to do so until it is fully resolved.

“In addition, a drain inspection has been arranged to ascertain whether drain defects have led to flies at the property.

“An offer of alternative accommodation was refused by the tenant. We will continue to work to identify a property of the size and type she requires.”