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A worried Rutherglen grandad has been told there is no point in trying to clear rats from his flat – because the street is riddled with them.

James Connolly claims an environmental health officer told

him that rats would return to his property when pest control action ended because Rutherglen’s Kirkwood Street is overrun with rodents.

The repulsed 60-year-old is one of three people the Reformer has learned of who have had rats infest their property within the past 18 months. James says he constantly hears rats scratching at the walls as they scurry through the cavities in the tenement building.

(Image: Getty)

And despite reporting the problem almost a year ago to his landlord, Link Housing Association, James says nothing has been done to resolve the problem.

He told the Reformer: “I reported it last December. They told me they wouldn’t deal with it. I had to pay a guy twice to come out and catch them.

“But a man from South Lanarkshire Council’s pest control said ‘Don’t waste your money, the whole street is infested’.

“He said there would be no point in trying to eradicate them from my house because they would just come back in.”

James, who has lived in his flat for five years, says Link continually downplays the problem, claiming the association told him in December that he was the only tenant affected by the rat infestation.

But other nearby tenants have told the Reformer they reported similar problems two years ago.

One woman who did not want to be named said she too found Link unwilling to acknowledge the scale of the problem.

“At 2am one morning I saw a rat running across my hall,” she said. “I reported it and my housing officer said maybe I was seeing things.

“Eventually Mite pest control came out. They went through everything and said we had huge gaps in the kitchen where they were getting in. We had droppings behind the kick-boards, chew marks where they had been biting, there was real evidence of the problem.”

Several Kirkwood Street residents, some who had lived there for decades, have moved out recently.

(Image: Irish Mirror)

And James says the rats are not only impacting on his quality of life but also his ability to welcome friends and family into his home, including spending time with his granddaughter.

He said: “She used to stay but is too scared now. I’m a grown man and even I’m intimidated.

“I shouldn’t have to live like this. It’s gone on far too long.”

James contacted MSP Clare Haughey and has written to Scottish housing minister Kevin Stewart for support and advice.

Ms Haughey said: “I have been in contact with Link Housing on multiple occasions regarding this issue – initially around nine months ago.

“I had received assurances in March that a pest control company were involved, so it is very disappointing that this public health issue has not yet been resolved.

“I understand that some of my constituents have even chosen to leave their homes over this which is absolutely unacceptable.

“The residents affected are rightly frustrated at the lack of action – nobody would want rats in or around their home.

“Last week, I again wrote to Link Housing urging them to find a definite resolution to this problem as a matter of urgency.”

A spokesman for Link Housing Association said: “We first received a report of a rat within our property in Kirkwood Street in November 2018.

“As we do not have an internal pest control team, we advised the tenant to contact South Lanarkshire Environmental Health Team (SLEHT) in the first instance.

“After it was reported the issue was not resolved in early 2019, we employed the services of a private contractor to carry out extensive works to remedy this matter.

“This included filling all cavities at ground level, carrying out a full camera investigation on underground sewage and water pipes, and rat bait, which successfully alleviated some of the issue. SLEHT has confirmed we have undertaken all the work they would have expected and more.

“We are empathetic with those affected by these upsetting and frustrating circumstances, and we will continue to work closely with our contractor and the local authority to monitor this situation.

“As this appears to be an issue affecting the wider Rutherglen area, we are happy to continue to work with the local authority and other housing providers to find a long-term solution.”

Shirley Clelland, head of environmental services at South Lanarkshire Council, said people experiencing pest activity in their homes should always contact their landlord in the first instance, and said her officers are always happy to provide advice to both tenants and property owners.