Family-of-five forced to sleep in one room armed with a SPADE as rats bite through walls
A FAMILY is living in fear after being trapped in a house from hell plagued with rats running through their floorboards and crumbling walls.
Amie Kavanagh, 31, and Shane Brown, 34, from Grimsby have spent the last four years tackling a rat infestation in their house.
Over the past week, the infestation has got so bad, they've been driven to spend hours hunting out rodents with a spade on hand in case they see one.
The pair are even having to share a room with their three children Chloe, 11, Lilly-Rose, nine, and Harvey, seven because the outbreak is so bad.
After continued efforts with their letting agent and North East Lincolnshire Council's environmental health team, they said they have had enough and wish they could just "burn the house down."
Talking to , Amie said: "This last week has been the worst by far though, they're coming up through the floorboards and the walls.
"I have severe Crohn's disease and I'm currently on immuno-suppressive medication so if I get bitten by a rat, I will die."
Partner Shane added: "I just want to burn the house down."
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Amie said that despite their efforts to board up holes in the kid's bedroom, the rodents continue to pop up, ranging in sizes and seemingly getting bigger as time ticks on.
The family spent £500 to decorate the house in May but had to stop the work due to the infestation.
They added that their shower is now leaking with the water dripping down onto the downstair's lights - making their home a total health hazard.
The pair don't work because Amie is unable to due to her health, while Shane is a carer for Amie and their autistic son, Harvey.
They insist getting a guarantor to move is looking impossible - making them feeling trapped.
In response to these claims, the letting agent of the property, Belvoir Estates, said: "We arranged for pest control to visit the property on Monday; however, that was cancelled by the tenants.
"After much searching, we found someone who can hopefully go to the property tomorrow (Thursday, August 26) to sort out this issue."
A spokesman from North East Lincolnshire Council said: “Whilst we cannot discuss the details of individual cases, we can confirm that our officers have worked with the landlord and the tenant to arrange for a visit from pest control.
"We have arranged a visit to the property to carry out an inspection, and will continue to work with both parties to ensure that this happens.”
