Residents have dubbed their west London housing estate “rat city” due to persistent problems with pesky vermin.
Burrows measuring up to around eight inches have been spotted on the grounds of Guinness Trust Buildings, on Cadogan Street, Chelsea.
Charlotte De Christi, 64, uses a long stick to measure the length of burrows which pop-up around the site. Despite previous work undertaken to control the pests, she still spots rats running around the grounds of the estate.
“It’s [causing] fear and stress. We thought it had been dealt with but now we find it’s back,” she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).
Iris Rugg, 76, also finds the presence of rats on the estate distressing. She feels that residents are now “back to square one” because works to line drains and lay traps, undertaken a couple of years ago by Guinness Trust, do not seem to have solved the issue.
“I don’t like them burrowing because they can gnaw through things. They can get under the blocks which shows they can get under everywhere,” she said, adding: “They’re vermin and if you get bitten you could be in serious trouble.”
The LDRS saw dozens of rat traps set up around the estate on a visit to speak to residents this week. We were also shown what Ms De Christi and Ms Rugg believe to be the beginnings of new burrows, after the Guinness Trust recently began filling these in with dirt.
Problems with rats on the Guinness Trust Estate in Chelsea have been going on for over 11 years, residents say. Work to tackle the problem was undertaken by the Guinness Trust a couple of years ago.
While this did improve things, residents do not feel this has provided a long-term solution to the infestation, with burrows appearing once again. Earlier this week, work to fill in holes with dirt was undertaken, although tenants do not feel this will best tackle the root cause of the infestation.
Paul Myers, who also lives on the estate, said that Guinness Trust was “not doing much to help”. He told the LDRS that the housing association needed to “set-up more traps and check them often”.
Ms De Christi, who has lived on the estate for 20 years, added: “It never really went away. They need to sort why it’s happening and why they keep coming back.”
A spokesperson from The Guinness Partnership said: “Rats are common in urban areas. We appreciate residents’ concerns about this and have remained in regular conversation with them, about the ongoing management required to treat the problem.
“As noted, we have carried out extensive drain work, and a pest control programme is in place to manage the issue, but even with such a programme pests can return, and measures are therefore ongoing.”
Kensington and Chelsea Council did not provide a comment on the vermin issue. The LDRS understands that the council’s private sector housing team investigates cases where residents report poor living conditions.
