A MUM-OF-FOUR has said she wants to leave her flat after finding as 20 rats swarming in the back garden of her tenement flat.

The Govan resident, who wished to remain anonymous, claims she refuses to open the blinds in her house as she does not want her children, who are as young as four, to be terrified in their own home.

Video footage, shot during daylight earlier this month, shows a mischief of ten rats scurrying around in the back court of her Howat Street apartment.

READ MORE: Glasgow high rise flat tenant had 100 pet rats

As a group of eight of the rodents run across the back garden, another three can be seen raking through a discarded bin bag lying on the floor.

The resident believes the vermin have originate from the main road, as well as the river clyde, which is just yards to the north of the street.

Howat Street

She said: "I really don't want to stay there. I've got four bedrooms, and they are just outside the window of my four-year-old's window at the back.

"They have made all of their nests in the walls. There were hundreds of babies in there - they were coming out of there like a conveyor belt.

"I have seen as many as 20 at a time.

READ MORE: Glasgow pest controllers deal with 17 rats calls per day across city

"My youngest child is only four. I can't open my back blinds because I don't want her fearing going into her own room.

"We're not in the sixties, this is the 21st century. This is an infestation, not just one or two.

"I think this has been something that is ongoing. I feel awful. I've got OCD and I just sit there, watching and counting them. It is horrible."

The group can be seen swarming on the back court

Earlier this week we reported that Glasgow had the highest number of call-outs by pest controllers of any area in Scotland.

On average, 17 calls were made to Glasgow City Council every day reporting rats in domestic properties or on the street.

READ MORE: Glasgow family's plea to Shettleston Housing Association after rat bite horror

The creatures are known to nest in walls and other brickwork, as well as live near water and in sewage systems.

They can also damage woodwork, plastic, bricks and lead pipes, and will strip insulation from electrical cables.

Rodents carry a wide range of disease-causing organisms, including many species of bacteria.

Rats themselves can pass on a number of diseases and illnesses to humans. These include plague (via infected fleas), salmanellosis, rat bite fever, weil's disease, and leptospirosis.

Read more of today's top Glasgow stories.

Anyone who knows or suspects they may have a rat infestation is encouraged to contact pest controller as soon as possible.