Mother bitten by rat after being forced to live in rodent infested property

Ms Smith said the issue of rats first became apparent several months ago when the kitchen began leaking and she could hear scuffling in the roof and walls of the property in Well Hill Drive, Harworth.

Soon after she told her partner, Michael Wheelhouse, that she had seen a rat.

After phoning Acis Group, a social housing provider who owns the property, it agreed to send over its pest control contractors who put down rat poison.

Work to repair damage caused by the rats chewing through pipes was identified as needing to be done, and brickwork repairs is due to be carried out on March 8.

Ms Smith said she then received a letter saying that pet contractors had made a follow-up check and there was no further evidence of the rats.

Ms Smith, who shares the home with her daughters aged 11, 10 and 16 months, said she could still see them "running through the house”.

Then in the early hours of Saturday February 19, Ms Smith went downstairs into kitchen and felt something crawl across her foot.

She looked down and saw a large brown rat bite her foot.

Businessman Michael, aged 40 said: “I was asleep and she'd come rushing upstairs screaming.

“I said let's have a look at your foot, and it had obviously broken the skin.

“My good lady could have got Weil's disease and been dead in 48 hours from being bitten.

“I personally know about it, because a good friend of mine contracted it at Rother Valley many years ago, and within 48 hours, he was dead in hospital.”

Ms Smith went to Bassetlaw Hospital where she received a tetanus vaccine and antibiotics.

Michael said: “Her having to live like this is just not fair - I want any help that we can get for her.

“She's paying about £550 a month for somewhere she's scared to live in.

“It's literally ruining day to day life for her, she's terrified to carry on a normal day to day living.”

The pair are now calling for more action to be taken.

An Acis spokesperson said: “We are working with the customer to resolve this issue as quickly and effectively as possible.

“A repair is booked in for March 8 to replace the air brick following guidance from pest control.

“We appreciate the time this has taken but we are currently dealing with a backlog of work following the pandemic and recent storms taking precedent.”

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