Fed-up villagers are scared to open their front doors because of a rat infestation.
They say Auchmithie, Angus, is overrun with vermin, and the problem is getting worse as summer approaches.
Locals say they have been spotting the rodents for more than a year now, but more are appearing all the time and they believe there are as many as 20 rats roaming the village.
They noticed the rats last May, when they first contacted Angus Council, but sightings of the vermin have increased this year as the weather has become warmer.
Villager Megan Macfarlane said she was out with her partner just over a month ago when she noticed the rats were back.
She said: "It wasn't until the first sunny day of the year, me and my partner were outside, sat on the balcony, enjoying a Saturday, when we heard a noise and just noticed rats everywhere. You saw one, then you saw about 20."
Megan said sightings of rats have increased since that point and villagers have been unable to enjoy their gardens.
She said: "We were sat out the front on Saturday having a barbecue.
"It was a lovely evening, all the neighbours were out and this rat just appeared.
"I don't know if it was the food smell or whatever, but you can't really do anything without being faced by rats.
"They've been across the road, they've been in people's vehicles, in their engine space, they're just becoming a total nuisance.
"It's the fact that they carry diseases as well that's really a worry.
"They're obviously getting more confident and making their way around everywhere pretty much.
"There was one dead on the road the other day, it lay there for a couple of days apparently. It's at the stage now where it's just affecting everybody."
Megan said the situation is not improving. She added: "Environmental health has been to my house because I wanted them to see the area affected most, which is at the back of our house.
"We've been once or twice more to check the embankment area, like the banks of the stream, to see if they're nesting anywhere but there are no signs."
Kerr Mawhirt, who also lives in the village, has concerns about the vermin affecting his grandchildren after he found one in his back garden.
He said: "I had one sitting in my back garden. I'd just come back from the beach with my grandson and we just walked into the back garden and this thing (a rat) is just sitting looking at us and they're not afraid of humans which is rare.
"Obviously it's a worry with the disease that they carry, I'm more worried about my grandkids but we do need to get something sorted out."
Kerr also has concerns the rat infestation is escalating. He said: "You may expect to see a rat or two in the countryside maybe over a year, but not to see them every other day."
Another neighbour, Pat Clegg, said: "We're all in the state now where we do not leave our doors open in case we get unexpected visitors."
An Angus Council spokeswoman said: "We can confirm we were made aware of sightings of rats at Auchmithie.
"Our environmental health team has been in contact with residents with regard to treatment and have arranged to go out with a surveyor this week to assess the area."
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
