Home
Flooded home leaves family with rat problem
05/07/2012
A South Tyneside family that had to suffer the trauma of seeing their home completely ruined by floods, is now fighting a second unpleasant onslaught, but this time against an invasion of rats.
The three-bedroom Jarrow home lived in by 26-year-old Shelly Smith, her mum, Dawn, stepfather, Tom, and younger sister Nicole, was deluged by floodwaters last week, ruining the downstairs.
The family has now seen a number of rats move into the home, which they believe to have come from emergency drainage works that have been taking place to mitigate any future flooding problems.
Shelley said that they seem to be stuck for the moment and are finding the whole situation very upsetting.
“It’s horrible – one of the rats even ran across my feet,” she told The Shield Gazette. “An area outside our house was dug up after the storm on Thursday, but it hasn’t been filled in yet, and we presume that’s where the rats came from. The environmental health people found more baby rats when they investigated.”
She said the only alternative accommodation they have been offered has been in a leisure centre, but Shelly said that they wouldn’t know what to do with their West Highland terrier dog, Leroy.
Their local councillor, Alan Smith, said that he hopes the council will find some suitable alternative accommodation for the family as soon as possible. A council spokesman said that they were in the process of taking swift and decisive action against the rats.
