A housing association tenant in Newport, South Wales, facing an ‘ongoing’ problem with rats in her house, but said that her housing provider has told her there is no evidence the animals are present – despite having taken pictures of them.
Toni McKinley lives in a Newport City Homes (NCH) property on Stanford Road in the city, said that the issue started in August 2021.
“I noticed rats outside my block,” Ms McKinley said.
“I was finding rat/mice droppings in my property, so NCH did sent out pest control and laid traps and poison – we caught a rat under my sofa, it’s just been ongoing since.”
During a visit last week, Ms McKinley said she was told by NCH that there was no evidence of rats in her property.
“I showed pest control images, but they’re not clear enough,” she said.
She said she was told that none of the photographic evidence presented constituted proof of rats.
An NCH spokesperson said: “We are working with Ms McKinley and also her neighbours to remove waste that had been put in a nearby shed, it is this waste that was attracting pests.
“We have been in contact with specialists in the Environmental Health team at Newport City Council and we will continue to liaise closely with Ms McKinley to address her concerns.”