A WOMAN from Prestatyn has told of her dismay at repeatedly finding large adult rats in her home.
Jackie Rowe, who lives on Gas Works Lane with her two dogs, said the rats appear to be entering her house through her upstairs toilet, and have made “a massive mess” of her property.
Though she has managed to catch them with electric traps so far, these have not deterred more from coming into her house, she said.
She has contacted Denbighshire County Council for help on the matter, and is sleeping in her dining room for the time being so that she does not have to go upstairs.
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Jackie said: “These rats are about 10 inches long. I've caught six fat adults ones in electric traps, but they are still coming in.
“I’ve had got a skip to put my old carpets in, and a man to come and lift the floorboards up. They’re eating up my carpet and anything you put down on the floor, whether it’s food or not.
“When I last went upstairs, I thought: ‘What the devil is this?’. They’ve been coming up through the sewer and up out of the upstairs toilet, for how long I don’t know.
“They’ve made a massive mess of my house.”
Jackie said she first found a rat in her home “about a month ago”, but that the rodents have stopped entering the traps she has set down.
Though she has also contacted pest control service “Rentokil”, she is unsure as to what more it could do than her.
Jackie said: “I don’t like using poison; I don’t like to think an animal has been poisoned and is waiting around to die, and I don’t want my dogs to get near the poison, or pick a poisoned rat up, either.
“I’ve told the council, because they should know if there’s a rat infestation which is beyond being able to be managed with traps or poison.
“I’ve never known a rat jump up out of a toilet before. I told Rentokil, but they said they would cost me £250.
“I’ve just spent that on electric traps upstairs; I don’t think they could do much more than me apart from put poison down.”
In response, Denbighshire County Council said that an officer is looking into the matter.
More information about pests and infestations can be found on the council’s website at: www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/environmental-health/pests-and-infestation.aspx.
A council spokesperson said: “This enquiry has been received and was forwarded to the relevant department.
“An officer has been in contact regarding this particular issue and has offered advice and guidance.”
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