A North Belfast woman says she has had to bin some of her children's Christmas toys due to an ongoing mice problem in her home.
She has four children under the age of five, and has struggled with her mental health since the first instance of vermin, with her doctor flagging "concerns" for her mental health and her child's health, who has developed a "chronic cough over recent months".
Speaking to Belfast Live, the woman, who wished to remain anonymous said: "I’ve been waiting for two weeks already for Belfast Council to come out. They aren't coming until the 20th.
Read more: Co Antrim mum 'desperate for a new home' after months of mice infestation
"I have four young kids and they can’t even play with toys or anything as these mice droppings are everywhere, in there bedrooms and everything. They are everywhere.
"My kids' toys they only got at Christmas are also having to be thrown in the bin because of mice droppings. My youngest son at the age of 10 months can’t even crawl or learn to walk because of it.
"It’s a disgrace that I am having to live like this. I can’t even cook in the kitchen, they are running from under my cooker and washing machine and scaring my kids. It is awful.
"This is impacting everything as I don’t use the kitchen. I’m buying takeaways to feed my children and it’s leaving me with no money.
"I am honestly fed up with this and I don’t know what else to do. I’m not sleeping and have four kids to look after with this going on."
A Belfast City Council spokesperson said: "Our free pest control service offers appointments in response to rats, mice, flies and cockroaches. An appointment can be made by emailing pestcontrol@belfastcity.gov.uk or by calling 02890270431.
"As one of the few Councils in Northern Ireland that provide the discretionary service, at times, due to demand, there may be a delay in receiving an appointment.
"We can confirm that this particular case has been reported to Council’s pest control team and we are responding to the enquiry as quickly as we can.
"Further advice on pest control measures can be found on our website: www.belfastcity.gov.uk/pestcontrol."
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