Man ‘on edge’ fears rats will eat his Christmas dinner as infestation worsens
A rat infestation is costing a man sleep and potentially his Christmas dinner.
James Solan, 63, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, is at his wit’s end with barely a wink of sleep due to mysterious bangs in the night and noises from his attic. Describing the situation as “absolutely horrendous” causing him to be “on edge all the time”.
The beleaguered resident has been battling a rat infestation for months in his Terrace Street home, managed by First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO), and fears spending Christmas in a rodent-ridden nightmare. “I’m worried they’re going to get to my food. If they’ve nibbled at it, you can’t eat it. I can’t afford to replace it, so I’d starve.”
READ MORE: ‘Fattest rat ever seen’ by pest controller dwarfs Lucozade bottle but some people aren’t happy
READ MORE: ‘Vampire’ rats can be repelled from your home with smelly trick
Mr Solan expressed his dire concerns.
Having lived there for about 47 years, he first spotted the vermin less than a year ago. “If you look through the window at night, you can see them outside,” he revealed, reports the Manchester Evening News.
(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Despite FCHO stating that a staff member visited in October and an Oldham council environmental officer setting traps and poison, the problem persists, allegedly stemming from a neighbouring property. Mr Solan claims he’s lodged dozens of complaints.
“I’m not a well man,” he lamented. “I could do without all the stress. I feel sick all the time. I’m not sleeping. I just want it to stop.”
He recounted the horror of finding his kitchen invaded: “They’ve been in my kitchen. All my cereal boxes were on the floor the other day.”
An FCHO spokesperson responded, saying, “At First Choice Homes Oldham the welfare of our customers is of utmost importance, and we share Mr Solan’s concerns relating to the neighbouring property in this case.”
(Image: Manchester Evening News)
“Whilst we do make it clear to our customers that they are responsible for maintaining their gardens to a reasonable and tidy standard, on occasion, cases such as this do arise and we endeavour to work with our customers to address any issues.”
“In this particular instance, we have taken several steps to resolve the problem since it was first reported to us by Mr Solan in October.”
“As we do with all cases like this, we are working hard to negotiate a speedy solution and if that does not work, we issue written warnings, which are required before we pursue legal action. Meanwhile we have funded pest control treatments to address some of the issues.”
“We are committed to working with Mr Solan to ensure the problem is concluded as quickly as possible and we will keep in contact to update him on our progress.”
For more incredible stories from the Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters
