A student says his car may have to be written off as a result of rats ‘eating’ cables under the bonnet.
Alexander Kavarana blasted the local council whom he says has ignored his cries for help over the last two months, citing a dangerous infestation of rodents in the nearby street.
The 19-year-old who is studying business at university claims the rats have chewed through the fuel injection cable of his car and now fears it may have to be beyond repair.
Alexander claims you don’t have to look far to find the rats scurrying around the overflowing bins nearby, stating that on one day he witnessed the rats five times in the one street.
The teenager says the issue is now seriously affecting his life and his car is currently unable to be driven.
Mr Kavarana this week told Nottinghamshire Live : “They are eating my car away and it will cost hundreds to repair, and my car isn’t worth that much - if it can’t be fixed my car will be a write off.
“They’ve chewed through my car’s fuel injection cable and, because there’s droppings in there now, it’d be hazardous to fix. So I can’t use my car because of this infestation and, at best, it will cost me a fair bit to repair it.
“Every day you can see them, about five of them a day, and at any time in the day near the piled up rubbish on the street.
“There’s always piles of rubbish everywhere on the street and they’re always in there.
“I always see them coming back from work running under my car and you can hear them speaking when you’re near to the house.”
Mr Kavarana, who studies at Nottingham Trent University, said that he had reported the problem of the overflowing bin in Ashbourne Street to Nottingham City Council at the end of September, and then twice in October.
The second year student, who is originally from Kettering, said that the problem had got to a point where it was seriously affecting his life.
He added: “I’m an easy going guy but this is too much, the damage to my car and droppings in there mean I can’t use it safely.
“It has been a frustrating time because, with my car unusable, I’m missing out on work opportunities - plus it’s just not nice to live near.”
Pictures of Ashbourne Street were shared on social media, and they were described by Labour MP for Nottingham South, Lilian Greenwood, as “appalling”.
She said the situation required “urgent attention” by the city Council.
A Nottingham City Council spokeswoman said: “We have been out to investigate a number of incidents of overflowing bins and dumped waste from private properties and businesses attracting rats and we are taking action where appropriate.
“Landlords of rented properties with overflowing bins are being contacted to address this. We are also working with businesses and we are increasing our trade waste checks to make sure they have suitable and adequate facilities.
“Plus, any bins that are unclaimed by properties have, and will, be removed as they encourage fly-tipping.”
The city council’s waste crews are regularly emptying bins and clearing waste, the spokeswoman said.
But she encouraged residents and businesses to take responsibility over disposing household waste, not to fly-tip, to removed other sources of food from gardens, maintain gardens and shrubs, and to order traps and rodenticide online if people want to treat the problem on their property themselves.
The spokeswoman added: “If your property is rented, please contact your landlord or agent. You can also contact a professional service to sort the issue.”
Rats eating their way through cars has been on the increase in recent years, with many new electrical cars, particularly the Tesla falling victim to the dirty rodents.
Tesla, like several other car companies, uses soy-based insulation to protect its wires. As soy is plant-based, it’s considered more environmentally friendly than the oil-based insulation that had previously been used in most cars.
However, it’s also apparently considered a delicious snack in the rodent world.
