A pregnant single mum has been moved into a rat-infested council house after bravely fleeing her home due to domestic abuse.
Sian Hope* and her two-year-old daughter were living in a refuge after escaping their previous lives with just the clothes on their backs in September.
Birmingham City Council then offered them a two-bed end-terrace property, though they were unable to view it before moving in thanks to Covid restrictions.
But nothing could have prepared Sian - who is expecting her second child in July - for what they found, reports Birmingham Live.
She has described being kept awake at night by the scratching sounds, and being unable to leave food out in the kitchen.
They have also seen tails scurrying along the skirting boards.
"We were really excited when we were offered the house but we couldn't believe it when we moved in," Sian said.
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"It has a major rat and mice infestation, broken floorboards, no carpets and the loft is rotten. There are rooms with no skirting boards and gaps between the wall and the floor so big that you can see rat tails poking through as they run along.
"I can see the rats urinating in the walls and it seeping onto the floors. Every day I’m bleaching my kitchen.
"My daughter is scared to be in her own bedroom. All you can hear is scratching. The rats and mice go crazy in the loft at night. It wakes her up, she’s petrified."
Sian said her clothes have been chewed and rats have bitten through the cables on her fridge freezer and broken it.
She claims the council has refused to replace it, meaning she has to "live off microwave meals" and largely seek refuge in her bedroom where there is carpet.
The council said it has sent pest control to bait all areas concerned, is planning to carry out rodent proofing works and has promised to continue to monitor and treat the property until there is no more bait being consumed.
But Sian says the treatments have so far failed to have any impact, and droppings are everywhere - and dead rodents are being left for days.
Over the Bank Holiday, Sian was awoken at 4am to the sound of an injured mouse thrashing around inside a vase - only to be told she would have to wait until Tuesday for someone to come out.
Sian said neighbours have told her there has been a rodent problem in the three-house terrace for three years, and it appears to stem from her property.
"My house is disgusting. I’m calling the council every other day. I’ve sent so many emails and complaints," she said.
On top of the rodents, there are also heating problems with the boiler switching itself off each night meaning Sian and her daughter have "constant coughs and chest infections".
"The health visitor has been and said it is not safe," she added.
The mum even injured herself falling down a hole in the flooring.
"I’m stuck. I’ve been told my only way out is to give up my tenancy and declare myself homeless. But I can’t do that as I’m having a baby in eight weeks but I don’t want to bring my baby back here," she explained.
A council spokesman said: "We are sorry for the distress that this has caused the tenant and will work with her to ensure the property remains pest free."
* Sian's name has been changed and we have chosen not to include her location to protect her identity due to the violent situation she left
