A Leeds mum of three who is terrified of rodents says she is fighting against big rats that are breeding at a nearby house besides equally mice invading her home.

Courtney Godward, 21, from Harehills, has tried every method possible to rid her firm of the pests merely she says an untidy nearby dump keeps the unhealthy supply going. Ms Godward moved into her new dwelling house in Nov 2022 and began facing bug nigh immediately.

Ms Godward contacted her landlord straight after and she says his response was quick. She said: "My landlord is brilliant. Equally soon every bit I found a mouse she had someone come up round to cover upwards all the holes in my house."

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Simply Ms Godward says her issues persisted: "They keep chewing. I've got holes in my rug because of them."

Ms Godward, whose eldest child is three-and-one-half-years-onetime, says the rodent problem in her house impacted her life and her children, who can't play in their back garden anymore: "Fast forward to the past few weeks I was sat out having a cig and had a rat come across my feet. Imagine my reaction.

A nearby residents garden has been pinpointed as the likely rodent breeding ground.

A nearby residents garden has been pinpointed every bit the likely rodent convenance footing.

"Now this is stopping my children playing out. I'm spending loads of money trying to put a finish to this nothing is working. You tin can hear them in the wall crenel and scratching at the skirting on a dark."

Ms Godward has since had several other nasty experiences with mice, including finding one nether her newborn baby'due south bounce chair, and her two-year-sometime catching another in her bathroom: "I had my newborn domicile. She was really poorly with jaundice. In and out of hospital. In that time of her being at dwelling she had a mouse under her bouncer chair."

On ii other occasions, Ms Godward was horrified to find her two-yr-one-time had caught a mouse: "There were two on two different occasions the pest control human being moved one said it was still alive and he put it in the bin. The second one I had to get someone to come and move information technology was still alive."

A rat in the play area / garden outside Ms Godward's home

A rat in the play area / garden outside Ms Godward's dwelling house

The feel left Ms Godward fearful that her children would get ill. She said: "I hope and so too. This is what I said to the council is it going to take my children to touch on one and put their fingers in their mouths and end up in hospital really poorly for them to do something and they replied we cannot annotate on that."

Ms Godward says her nightmares merely got worse after she turned to Leeds City Council and the environment health team and claims they sent her from colonnade to post, before refusing to help her: "I have emailed multiple times to go help. All different teams I take spoken to, the head of environmental health, they are non willing to help.

"So where do I go adjacent? All I desire is for my kids to have a nice habitation and be able to play in the garden which they are unable to practise at the moment. Rats are dangerous I have to keep everything clean every bit possible for the kids I'm frustrated I'thou non getting nowhere."

Besides the rodent trouble, Ms Godward is now afraid that the back garden, which has begun to resemble a dumping ground, volition take things falling over into her garden: "All of his rubbish keeps coming over into my garden information technology'south an accident waiting to happen."

Big rats run around the trampoline area. Ms Godward's children cannot play outside anymore as she fears exposure to rodents will cause diseases

Large rats run around the trampoline surface area. Ms Godward'south children cannot play outside anymore equally she fears exposure to rodents volition crusade diseases

In a written statement, Leeds Quango told Leeds Live people must report problems with rats and mice to the council. A council spokesperson said: "Council services, including pest control, waste management, cleaner neighbourhood teams and Housing Leeds continue to work together to make sure pest problems are dealt with as speedily and effectively equally possible.

"We would advise anyone experiencing any problems with pests to contact the quango as soon every bit possible and then nosotros can offer advice and guidance. Farther information about preventing infestations can exist found on the quango'south website: Pest control (leeds.gov.great britain)."

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