A mum claimed rats from their neighbour's filthy garden are terrorising their home and even caused them to put their dog down.
Nicola Green said their home is being terrorised by hordes of rats after their "nightmare neighbours" used their own garden as a dumping ground.
The 34-year-old said she first noticed rats in November last year after her neighbours' garden became littered with mounds of rubbish.
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But the care worker said rats have now taken over her garden as well and are terrorising her home - chewing through sheds and eating property.
Ms Green even claimed the bacteria-carrying rats were the cause of her Jack Russell Jess' kidney failure.
Horrific images show rats crawling around piles of trash bags - while one large rodent lies on an abandoned mattress.
Ms Green has made numerous complaints to the landlord and environmental health who she claimed have failed to act for almost four months.
The council department were then forced to threaten the landlord with a fine if the waste wasn't cleared after the tenant repeatedly failed to clear the garden.
Ms Green said the rats are still running riot in gardens across the neighbourhood despite the landlord finally clearing the mess.
The mum-of-two also claimed both Platform Housing association and Newark and Sherwood District Council advised the tenants to report the issue to the other, claiming the responsibility lies with the other party.
Ms Green, from Ollerton, Nottinghamshire, said: "They've always had stuff scattered about the garden.
"It started as them just tossing the odd can out on the garden but this last year it built up to that bad.
"They were chucking out everything - food, household waste, used sanitary towels - just anything you would put in a bin but they were just chucking it all in the back garden.
"I could hear rustling in the garden so I thought there were rats but I couldn't be sure at first. My dog would dig near the fence and I would have to pull her away.
"The next thing I was out in the garden and a rat poked its head out through a hole under the fence and I just felt sick. I was in shock.
"At first they were just in that garden, then they started coming into mine and now they're in everyone's gardens and sheds."
Despite several attempts from neighbours knocking at the house, Nicola says there was never an answer at the door for them to confront them about the issue.
The growing rat population quickly swarmed their gardens as well, leaving Nicola's children, Leighton, 16, and Harry, eight, unable to use their own garden.
Ms Green said: "They've just got no self respect at all. If that's what the garden is like then I can only imagine what the inside of the house is like.
"The house is only four years old and they're really lovely houses, but it's just been trashed.
"I work quite a stressful job, especially with the pandemic, and then with that as well I can't just come home to peace and my kids can't go out in the garden.
"On New Year's Eve we had our family dog put to sleep because she had kidney failure.
"She became really poorly about six weeks before and I think it's because of the rats carrying diseases, so it's made me so angry to think that it led to that.
"It all made me want to move house. My last resort before that would've been to stop paying rent until it was sorted - a few of us neighbours discussed that."
After reporting the issue to the landlord of the newbuild estate, Nicola claims he said there was 'nothing he could do' other than notify the tenants of the complaint and ask them to clear the garden.
She said the council only stepped in instructed the landlord to ensure was mess was cleared after she shared video footage of rats scurrying.
Ms Green said the tenants have now left the property and the landlord has confirmed they won't be returning.
She is now waiting for the landlord and environmental health to put an extermination plan in place to rid the neighbourhood of the rats.
A spokesperson for Platform Housing said: "We are sorry to hear of this issue in Ollerton; ultimately, customers' enclosed gardens are their own responsibility.
"Any issues should always be reported to the local authority who will send out pest control to survey the area and take action appropriately."
A spokesperson for Newark and Sherwood District Council said: "The property is owned by a private housing association and we're working with them, the tenant and the complainant to resolve the issue.
"We have been made aware of the rat infestation and we’ve asked the housing association to look into it.
"The responsibility lies with them but we do have powers to ensure they resolve the issue."
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