"They chew through walls... and leave their babies": The families held to siege by rats

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Young families on a street in Bolton say they are frightened to let their children play outside because of rats breeding on their street.

Residents on Bashall Street claim they have been terrorised by rats for several months - fighting a daily battle to keep them out of their properties. Some say the issue has affected their mental health as they fear for their children's safety.

Alexandra Barlow, who lives on Bashall Street with her partner Daniel Gerencser and eight-month-old daughter Laura, says the problems started when they had their rented home renovated two years ago. After noticing rats were gathering among broken furniture in the garden, the couple hired a skip which appeared to fix the issue.

READ MORE: "Give me my f****** phone back": Pub landlord beaten up and wrestled to the floor by girlfriend after he punched her in the face during drunken row

But as fly-tipping in the area increased, rat sightings on the street grew – with residents eventually finding them inside their homes. “When we first moved in, I noticed the far end of Bashall Street was filled with extra rubbish,” Alexandra told the Manchester Evening News. “Over time, people also started leaving rubbish out on the back street, further down our end. It’s almost like fly-tipping is contagious."

“More rats have been spotted to the point where we are finding them in our houses," she added. "I have had a rat chew through the wall.”

Alexandra and Daniel say they have been forced to rip up part of their kitchen in order to lay rat traps. The couple are desperate to move for the sake of baby Laura, but they do not have the money to do so.

“A lot of my neighbours have taken the option of getting a cat, but I’d rather not while my daughter is so young,”