Woman's disgust at neighbour's mounting rubbish causing rat infestation in area

A woman has expressed her disgust at mounting piles of rubbish in her neighbour's garden which has led to a rat infestation in the area.A woman has expressed her disgust at mounting piles of rubbish in her neighbour's garden which has led to a rat infestation in the area.

Kim Blagden, 48, says the rubbish in the neighbouring garden has been a problem since April 2018 but it has since got worse due to it becoming infested with rats.

At one point she was even forced to "remove a dead rat" from her own garden.

The 48-year-old, who lives in Bestwood Village, Nottinghamshire, says she had tried contacting housing officers at firm Derwent Living, which runs the now-vacant property, to try and get the rubbish removed but was "getting nowhere"

"It started off two years ago", she told Nottinghamshire Live. "But it properly came to our attention when my son, who is 28, was out having a cigarette in my garden and a rat ran past his feet.

"I reported it to Derwent and all they did was write letters, but it got worse and worse and has got to the stage where rats are now in my property.

"Last Monday I even heard the rats in the cavities of the building and in my loft. I live in a three-storey house so it shows how far they've got."Ms Blagden says she has been forced to take matters into her own hands because she isn't getting any help.

The DG Cars chauffeur began going through rubbish in the neighbouring garden to "remove rubble" seeping into her own property.

This is when she realised the issue was worse than she thought.

"When we were moving this we disturbed three rats, which had been attracted by the old mattress and household waste giving off a fusty smell", she added.

"I have even had to remove a dead rat which had fallen through the fence - this is how bad it was.

"When this all started in April 2018 the rubbish wasn't as bad, probably the equivalent of two wheelie bins full, but now it's enough to fill a skip.

"There's also a garage with god knows what else in it, and it's causing problems for everyone else on the street."

Ms Blagden has been trying to get Derwent Living to remove the rubbish for months, but feels they are "trying to pass the buck" by directing her to Ashfield District Council.

"It seems all they are doing is sending letters and not taking any action", she said.

"They say I need to contact Ashfield District Council's environment team as they think it's the council's responsibility.

"But the property is managed by Derwent, it's their job. This should be classed as an emergency as we're a row of just five houses and it's affecting us all.

"I got told that Derwent were going to clean it yesterday but then someone came out and said a 'request has been put in' to get it removed.

"It seems to be being dragged out and that they are trying to pass the buck on it. It just needs clearing as soon as possible."

A spokesperson for Derwent Living confirmed that it plans to remove the garden rubbish next week and that the property is currently unoccupied.

Adem Mahmoud, tenancy services manager at Derwent Living, said: "We have been working closely with Ashfield District Council to sort out the issues at Millbank Place and we have arranged for the rubbish to be cleared on Monday (August 24).

"Once the rubbish is cleared, pest control work will be carried out." 

Reference: Mirror:Andrew Topping & Tanveer Mann 5 days ago: 22nd August 2020