Mum’s fears for children’s health after rat infestation in West Belfast

She says she can’t let her children play outside because of the rodent infestation

A West Belfast mum has spoke of her fears for her children’s health due to a rat infestation in her back garden.

Jacinta’s home is behind a retaining wall that leads to a set of takeaway restaurants on Stockman’s Lane and over the past few years she has had to deal with pests coming from the other side of it.

She says that there had been an 18 month period where the issue seemed to be dealt with until the rats returned six weeks ago. The mum of two says the infestation is now the worst that it has ever been and she is scared to let her two boys aged four and five outside to play.

READ MORE: Emergency services called to incident at Belfast’s Titanic QuarterREAD MORE: Ombudsman investigating incident between police and young man in alleyway

Speaking to Belfast Live, Jacinta says she believes the problem is coming from a blocked drain on the other side of the retaining wall and she is unable to stop the rats coming into her garden. She says there can be up to eight rats coming through holes in the wall and she is very worried about the health impact this could have, especially as one of her son’s is disabled.

She said that she reported the issue to the council six weeks ago and when someone arrived to look at the problem, she was told all of their equipment was broken and there would be a delay.

She said: “I am terrified to let my children outside in the garden due to the amount of rats that are coming through that wall. I tried to put something up to cover the holes and stop them, but the smaller ones managed to get around it.

“I have two young sons, with one having a disability, and I don’t know what I am supposed to do to get rid of them.

“When I first contacted the council, someone came out but then told me they couldn’t do anything as their equipment was broken and since then I have been waiting for someone to come back out again.”

A Belfast City Council spokesperson said: “Belfast City Council takes all reports of rodent infestations seriously and investigates all complaints received.

“We are aware of this incident and appreciate the distress that this has caused.

“Our Pest Control officers alongside Environmental Health Officers are actively investigating rodent activity in the area & the sewerage system is scheduled to baited tomorrow (Wednesday.)

“We have spoken with the complainant and made her aware of our actions to date.”