Mum’s council house invaded by hundreds of SLUGS every week – and they’re even in her baby’s bottle
A MUM’S council house is said to get invaded by hundreds of slugs every week, crawling over everything including her baby’s bottle.
MUM-of-three Jade Lockhart, 35, says the problem is so bad doctors believe the slimy creatures are making her asthmatic son’s condition worse.
Lockhart is currently pleading with council bosses to find her a new home and says she cleans the house every day, putting salt along her skirting boards, but the slugs just keep coming back.
East Ayrshire Council claim to have carried out a number of remedial works over the past three years but say finding the source of the slug lair is “difficult”.
Lockhart, from Kilmarnock, Scotland, told the : "They've been coming into the house non-stop for the last four years.
"Could you imagine getting up in the morning to make your wean a bit of toast and pulling it out the toaster and there's a slug on it?
"Or you put your hand on the fridge handle and the first thing you're touching is a slug or you come downstairs to get your wean a bottle and your standing in about 10 of them?"
"It's no way for anyone to live."
She and her kids are currently being housed in temporary accommodation while the council tries to fix the problem.
While Jade says council workers ripped up the flooring and re-sheeted the surface at her home in Shortlees, it didn’t solve the problem of the slugs.
According to Lockhart, she was told by Environmental Health, who inspected the property, that the slugs were coming up from underneath the house in the foundations.
Lockhart said her son’s health was being affected: "My son Alfie has really bad asthma.
"My doctor says that he's not well because of all of this. I got told from a social worker and another two health professionals we shouldn't be living here because he's been unwell because of this. He has a really bad cough.
"They've been on his bottle, his dummy and toys through the night and he's getting up in the morning and playing with them all and obviously putting them to his mouth."
She also claimed her own health was being affected, saying she had lost around three stone in weight and hadn’t been able to eat.
Lockhart said she has to vacuum and wash the floors every night but even still the slugs return, crawling everywhere, including her kettle.
The infestation is so bad she has had to throw out three sofas as well as various other household items which have been ruined by the slugs.
She said: "They come up through the floorboards and I've even found them in my washing machine.
"They've ruined my furniture. I've lost three couches through this I've had to chuck out them out.
"I clean the couches but slugs eat dog poo and things like that so there's only so many times you can clean them. It's mentally draining me."
Lockhart has even resorted to pouring salt along her skirting boards but this doesn’t appear to be having an effect.
Jade added: "I'd say there's easily hundreds of slugs coming into the house each week.
"I've been told to put salt round my skirting boards and they still come every night.
"I can't take much more."
Blair Millar, strategic lead for housing at East Ayrshire Council, said: "We have been working with Miss Lockhart since October 2019 following reports of slugs within her property.
"We're working hard to alleviate the problems Miss Lockhart and her family have been experiencing. We've carried out a range of remedial works in the property, however It can be difficult to establish the source of an infestation.
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"Since the initial report in 2019, extensive works have been carried out, including overlaying the flooring and sealing of skirting boards in the living-room, bathroom and hall. Numerous repairs have been carried out in the kitchen too, with kick-plates removed, gaps filled between the floor and walls and we've sealed the skirting boards.
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"We've recognised the inconvenience of repair work on the family, and have provided them with temporary accommodation to minimise disruption, whilst our Housing Asset Services and Environmental Health Teams carry out further investigations to rectify the situation.
"Miss Lockhart has an active application for rehousing and we will continue to provide her with advice and assistance on her current tenancy and future housing options."
