A YOUNG family with a baby have shared their horror after having to remove him from his nursery in their new home after a neighbouring rat-infested house led to smells and scratching in the walls.

Emily Pearce, 20, was thrilled to get her first home with partner Jack, 22, just before the birth of their little boy Otis.

Their home in Sutton ticked all their boxes and they decorated it ready for their new life together.

However, not long after moving in, they discovered that the walls and attic were infested with rats, and the problem is one plaguing the entire row of homes.

St Helens Star: The house is infested with rats meaning pest control is a common occurrence The house is infested with rats meaning pest control is a common occurrence (Image: Emily Pearce)

Emily, a self-employed nail technician, said: “When we got the house in November 2022 we thought it was perfect, we were first time buyers and it has everything we needed.

“We moved in just before I gave birth and shortly after moving in we could barely breathe from a horrible smell and were disgusted to learn it was rotting rat bodies in the walls.

“We called pest control and they said that not only was our home infested but after speaking to neighbours, the problem starts in an abandoned house down the road that is connected to our row of homes.

“The previous owner has died and the home is infested with rats, all the neighbouring properties have the same problem, so much so that rats have been at our back door trying to get in from the garden.

St Helens Star: A rat outside the back door of their homeA rat outside the back door of their home (Image: Emily Pearce)

“The smell was that bad that we’ve had to move Otis out of his nursery which makes me want to cry honestly and even in the nice weather, we’ve not been able to take him outside in the garden for fear one of these rats will get to him.

“We were told nothing about this in the sale and we have tried everything from pest control – who are brilliant but can only come and solve [the infestation at] our house but the problem doesn’t go away.

"[We also contacted] the council and Environmental Health but honestly, it’s become unbearable.

“When we moved, we planned that the box room would become my at home nail salon as I currently work from a garden cabin in my parents' garden, but they are moving house soon and I can’t bring clients here.

“This means it could now affect our income and it’s just making us so depressed.

St Helens Star:

“We worked so hard to get on the housing ladder, we are only young and we feel like we’ve done everything we can.”

A council spokesperson said:  “It is awful that a privately-owned empty property is causing such distress to young families. We have been using all our powers to force the owners to deal with the problem, and are currently applying for a warrant that would allow us to enter the property.  

“Empty homes are a problem that we are dealing with across the borough and we have a range of powers to combat this, by charging a long-term empty homes premium for vacant properties, taking action against owners where nuisance is cause to neighbouring properties, undertaking remedial works on empty properties where hazards are evident and charging costs to the owners, and enforcement to bring about change of ownership where a property has been abandoned. 

“Pest control officers have undertaken repeat visits to 23 Yarn Close to carry out treatments for rats this year. After the initial visit took place and issues were apparent with the neighbouring empty property, our environmental health officers served notice on the owner requiring they remove all waste and arrange pest control. 

“These requirements were not met, so we served a further notice informing them of our intention to enter the property to undertake the work using contractors. To do so we must apply for a warrant and we will complete these processes as soon as possible. 

“The property is now subject to ongoing monitoring by the council's Empty Homes Service, which has sought to establish contact with the owner to remind them of their obligation to keep the property clean and safe and encourage them to bring the property back into use, with enforcement reserved in the event of further inaction. 

“In the meantime, given the properties’ proximity to a brook which provides a prime habitat for rodents, repairs to rear garden fences could help to restrict the access by pests.”