A homeowner says he feels "trapped" in his rat-infested home that stinks so much he won't let people visit.
Tom and Sue Goulding are in a constant cycle, having spent thousands over the years repairing the damage done by the rodents.
Environmental Health officers have been out to the property in Huyton, Merseyside, multiple times but nothing seems to have changed.
The couple won't allow their small grandchildren inside and say the smell caused by the rats is unbearable.
Tom, 59, said he's paid to have pest control out three times, who put poison down - but said it hasn't deterred the critters.
Do you have a similar problem to Tom? Let us know at webnews@mirror.co.uk
He told the Liverpool Echo: "The rats just rot and the house stinks, I don't know where they've died. My dog killed a rat from under the cooker (on Friday) and the whole house just stinks.
"I won't have family come and visit, we are trapped. Our grandchildren come and we have to say they can't come in because of the smell and there's poison around, that's not right they are only babies.
"We won't have friends around either."
Back in 2020, Tom spoke out about a £3,500 bill after rats destroyed his garden shed.
He added that on one occasion a rat had chewed through wiring in an upstairs room of the couple’s home, and Sue described the situation as "depressing”.
Tom, who has had several operations due to his declining health, said: "I've had a defibrillator fitted under my chest and my wife had COPD and has breathing problems but the two of us have been vomiting and constantly on the toilet because of the smell.
"It's disgusting.
"Of an evening it's quiet and you can hear them in the walls. I won't go out. I've gone blind and I can't even go out and see people but they can't come here, we are stuck here 24/7.
"We are constantly down and we are arguing a lot between ourselves because no-one seems to be doing anything to help.
"We pay £400 a month for this property and we are living like this."
It was previously reported that Knowsley councillors, council officers, representatives from local housing association Livv Housing and United Utilities were all out in force in a bid to tackle the "out of control" rat situation in the area.
A Knowsley Council Spokesperson said: "We work with partners, residents, businesses, and landlords to tackle any incident of rat infestations in the Borough. This includes sewer baiting, pest control, identifying issues that may be contributing to the problems and offering advice about prevention.
"We recently received a report relating to rats at this property and it was referred to Livv Housing Group who own this property. They are arranging for a pest control visit to take place at the property.
"We have a regular programme of multi-agency action days to target issues impacting on our residents. Our last action day took place in January 2023 and properties on Huyton House Road were visited, residents were given pest control advice and our Streetscene team removed any excess waste.
"The sewers in that area were baited in March 2022 and we are working with United Utilities on their next phase of rebaiting which will include this area. If residents have any concerns about rats in their area, please contact our Pest Control team at www.knowsley.gov.uk or our Environmental Health Team on (0151)-443 4712 or by emailing environmentalhealth@knowsley.gov.uk."
Tony Cahill, Executive Director of Property at Livv Housing Group, added: "We’re working closely with the customer and Environmental Health to rectify the issue. We’ve carried out external work to the property over the past week and have scheduled in another visit for Monday, April 3.
"We understand the problems the issue is causing and we’ll continue to work closely with the customer to make sure it’s rectified."
