A family has been left physically sick and terrified of using their bathroom due to a rat infestation and claim their landlord ‘doesn’t seem to care’.
Kelly Davison says that despite countless calls to Cornwall Housing, the problem is yet to be fixed and that she can feel and hear rats under the bath while bathing her children.
She added: ‘The smell is unbearable and making my children and I poorly. They are under the bath. When I bath the children you can hear and feel them under the bath.
‘They are behind the toilet and sink which is boxed in. I’ve lodged two formal complaints with housing and called hundreds of times but they are not interested and do absolutely nothing to help.
‘My children and I have to live with rats and Cornwall Housing doesn’t seem to care.’
Self-employed Kelly, who lives in Saltash with her five children and grandchild, says the only action taken so far was the use of rat poison.
She says it has killed some of the rats but has left behind a horrendous stench emanating from the dead carcasses that haven’t been removed.
Kelly added: ‘We’ve been here two years and the problem still isn’t solved. Someone came and put the rat poison down but they haven’t been back since and the smell is worse than ever.
‘The smell just lingers and every morning makes us sick. It’s disgusting, rotting like faeces.
‘Thank goodness I have the best childminder. I can take the children to hers for baths and we have a caravan for toilet use.
‘I’ve already bought a new bathroom suite, I just need them to take it all apart and find out how they’re coming in. I don’t care how pretty a new bathroom is, I just want one that functions.
‘I’m constantly being fobbed off and we’re so desperate for this to get sorted.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted Cornwall Housing for comment.
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