A man has described how he is at the end of his tether thanks to a four-year battle with unwelcome visitors to his council flat. Paul Blanche, 47, suspects slugs are getting into his home via gaps in the window seals.
Paul has lived in the ground floor maisonette in Sandwell, West Midlands, since 2006. He said there were no problems until 2015, when he had work carried out on his windows.
Since then, Paul said he has faced a constant battle with slugs in his kitchen and entrance. He says Sandwell Council has failed to solve the problem, reports BirminghamLive.
Paul regularly resorts to bleaching his possessions in an effort to clean them after the creatures have left their slime on them. He has also covered his floor in salt to try to keep them away.
He said: "I am at the end of my tether with it all. You wouldn't expect your pet to live in conditions like this."
Paul, who works for Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, added: "There was work carried out on the widows of the maisonette in around 2015. "I first reported the problems to the council in 2016 and had no response. I went on to report it another two times and was told that someone would come out to me but nobody did. It was only when I said that I'd take matters further that someone came out."
Paul said that he also has water coming up through the kitchen floor when it rains. He said that was causing his wallpaper to peel off and turn black.
He said: "They (the council) fixed a window and worked on the rainwater getting in but the slugs were still getting in. An inspector told me I would have to live with the problem so I told him to leave.
"No one would want to live with slugs in their property all over the cutlery and food. I've got PVC doors and windows and they are getting in through holes there - it hasn't been sealed up properly. I was told to speak to the environmental health team who referred me to the repairs team. Someone was sent to fix the problem but the slugs were still coming in."
Paul has worked from home throughout the coronavirus pandemic and said that doing so with the ongoing slug issue had caused him mental distress. He said: "It has caused me no end of stress. Before the lockdown was stressful enough but working from home with all of these issues is awful.
"I'm worried about them getting into my food - I was washing everything with bleach. My floor is covered with salt to keep them at bay.
"I've tried filling the holes myself but nothing is working. During the summer months, they're in every couple of hours.
"There is nowhere else I can put my cutlery or utensils because I don't have the room and the slugs are getting to them. The slugs are in the entree every day."
He says that he now hates his home and wants to move out. "My neighbour has no issues but she owns her property - it isn't fair that I'm expected to pay rent every week with the problems," he said. "I hate the place so much now I refuse to even decorate it."
A spokesperson for Sandwell Council said: "We have been in contact with Mr Blanche and a visit was made to the property on March 10. Prior to this the council successfully completed a series of different works at the property, the latest of which was in late January 2021."
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