Darwen couple's horror as rats eat through their home

Lauren Hancock, who lives in Olive Lane, Darwen, with her boyfriend Declan, said she can hear the pests roaming around in the walls and under the floorboards of her home.

One of her kitchen cupboards is also visibly damaged by the rodents trying to get to food, with a hole chewed through the backboard by the vermin.

A hole has been chewed into the back of a kitchen cupboard

The problem is so bad Ms Hancock and Mr Almond have made the decision to live and sleep in the living room, the only area of the house where they haven’t seen evidence of the rats.

The 21-year-old was initially offered help with the issue from Blackburn with Darwen’s pest control team, but said the officer refused to come into their home after becoming fearful of one of their dogs, Biggie. 

The council has confirmed it will not be returning to deal with the issue, saying Ms Hancock will now have to enlist the services of a private company to deal with the issue.

She said: “We can’t afford to do that - we need help from the council to deal with the issue.”           

Others living on the street - home to the cheapest house for sale in Blackburn with Darwen - have also commented on their struggles with rodents and have reported seeing them running through alleyways and scavenging on the streets.

“We’re clean people, the house is clean, and we’ve never seen anything like this before,” said Lauren.

“When the officer came over, we put the two girl dogs in their crates and my partner was in the living room with our male dog.

“He stepped into the door and looked around, and my dog did jump up to look who was in the house, as most dogs would do, and then he shut the door and said, ‘no no no’ and he ran off down the street.

“I went after him to say he could come through the back and in through the kitchen, but I didn’t even have the chance to tell him, he’d ran off, got into his van and drove away.”

Biggie the dog

However the local authority disputes the claim, stating the officer immediately felt unsafe and as though the dog "may have attacked" if he had gone any further into the house, after it "wriggled free" from its owner’s grasp.

The council went on to say staff safety is paramount at all times, adding: “Unfortunately, we have advised the residents we will not be treating the property at this time and they will have to seek the services of a private company.”

In the meantime, Ms Hancock said she was fearful of even going into the kitchen, where a massive hole has been chewed into the back of at least one of her cupboards where dry foods are stored.

She added: “We’ve even seen dead rats outside in the street, that is how bad it is, they’re all over.

“My little brothers-in-law have stopped coming over to see us and the dogs because of the problem.”

Ward Councillor for the area, Martin McCaughran, said he was aware of complaints about rodents on the street, and he would be speaking to the council himself about the way in which the situation had been handled.

He said: “I will look to do all I can to make sure these people get all the support that they need. I will speak to those in question to find out exactly what happened.”

Mark Beach, Managing Director of Calico Homes, said: "Calico Homes does not own this property but have been asked by a local authority to manage it on their behalf.

"We hadn't been informed of this issue until now, and whilst pest control is not a service we have been asked to provide by the council, we are contacting the customer to help identify the best solution for the problem."