A mum-of-four is desperate to be rehomed after she claims her baby boy was left covered 'head to toe' with what she fears are bites from a spider beetle infestation.
Kerry Jackson, 27, noticed a pungent smell coming from her radiator at her housing association property in Widnes, and was told by a worker there was a dead rat under the floor.
The mum claims that was followed by an infestation of more than 100 bluebottle flies and that staff told her she was 'being dramatic.'
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She then found another dead rat with a "horrendous" smell, followed by the discovery of rat poo in a cupboard in her son's room and fly larva, the ECHO reports.
As well as suffering from mould, rats and flies, Kerry claims the house has also been blighted by an infestation of spider beetles, which "bite" her and her children including baby Alvin, aged eight weeks old, from "head to toe."
A doctor’s letter shared with the ECHO dated November 4 this year said Kerry was 'clearly struggling emotionally' and that it was 'rare for me to see her upset and she usually copes extremely well.'
Urging the housing association to make the accommodation situation a "priority", the GP said: "Kerry tells me she is living in very poor conditions and there are ongoing infestations of insects causing problems with the children. One of her children was recently seen by our ANP (advanced nurse practitioner) regarding insect bites."
Kerry stressed she is a clean and tidy person and has contributed to the upkeep of her house by painting and decorating and paying for a pest control bug spray to take place - which were followed up by two sprays funded by Halton Housing - as she said the problems result from the poor state of the building.
She shared distressing pictures with the ECHO showing what she said were live spider beetles and one of baby Alvin dotted with painful-looking red welts from 'being bitten' by the bugs.
Copies of a building survey completed on behalf of Halton Housing showed the contractor agreed with many of Kerry’s claims about structural problems in the property and stated the need for better windows, which they said would improve ventilation and in turn reduce damp and mould, while the surveyor disagreed with some assessments, reporting an absence of damp in places.
She told the ECHO: "It’s not just that it’s mentally distressing now - it’s not just me, even my doctor said 'she used to be this happy person' and I’m not no more - it’s my kids suffering.
"Every day I dread waking up in the morning because of what I’m going to see. My son was bitten from head to toe. It was embarrassing to take him for a six-to-eight week check-up when he should be perfect."
Kerry said a councillor has tried to help her but she remains in eighth position in the priority list for a move. She said: "My kids are being bitten. It’s the worst year of my life."
A Halton Housing spokesman said: "Since we became aware of this case, our teams have been in regular contact with the customer, working to resolve the issues, and we will continue to support the customer until they are fully resolved.
"The customer's safety and wellbeing remains our top priority and we want to minimise any distress caused."
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