A mum who said there was "scratching in her walls" thought she'd been broken into after rats left a huge mess.
In recent months, many residents in Page Moss have been complaining of vermin issues they are facing. From "rats the size of cats " running in gardens, some parents are even scared to let their children go outside.
The problem of rats in Page Moss has been almost constant in recent years. People have spoken out on a regular basis about infestations in their homes and rats wandering the streets in “broad daylight.”
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Colette Frederickson, from Green Way, told the ECHO at one point she thought she had been burgled but it was rats inside her home. She said: "They've been in my cupboards, my window ledge, on my work top, they moved the biscuit barrel and got the sweets out the sweet jar.
"I've got OCD, my house is always clean. There was rat droppings in the living room, the smell of rat wee. It even chewed through my boyfriend's jacket for a sweet, it had a right field day.
"I struggle with money, as we all are, I paid for pest control and luckily he came out the next day and said I had a problem and put bait down. He had to come back out and put stronger stuff down.
"My son heard scratching in the walls, that was well before Christmas, and after that there was no more scratching and the bait had gone so we assumed it died."
After paying for pest control, Colette said she now has a "dead rat" somewhere in her home, which cannot be found, and is making her house "stink". She added: "The smell is that bad it's not good for the health.
"We even slept with the windows open and I'm getting paranoid feeling flu symptoms, when is it going to end? It's out of control. They make my skin crawl.
"Now there's a dead rat that we don't know where it is and there's bluebottles in the house which is getting me all worked up. It's causing so much stress and the council don't see this.
"The smell is that bad I thought my son was dead and I had to go make sure he was alive. It's doing things to my mental health."
Colette also fears being outside in her own garden due to large rats. She said: "We wear masks in the house because this rat is missing and there's nothing we can do, we don't know where it is. It's horrendous. I'm even dreaming they are biting my legs."
It was previously reported that Knowsley councillors, council officers, representatives from local housing association Livv Housing and United Utilities were all out in force on the streets of Page Moss in a bid to tackle a situation which some residents say feels out of control.
The council confirmed to the ECHO it will continue to work with partners, residents, businesses and landlords to tackle any rat infestations in the area, including sewer baiting, pest control and action days as well as offering advice.
The council said on March 1, a day of action will be carried out in the Shevington ward of Kirkby from 10am to 12noon as they urge residents to report issues they face.
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 have a regular programme of action days to target issues impacting on our residents. Our Environmental Health Team will be carrying out a day of action on Wednesday 1 March, in the Shevington ward area of Kirkby. During the day, from 10am – 12noon, officers will be based at Tower Hill Community Centre (Ebony Way, Liverpool L33 1ZQ) where residents can speak to officers about any issues they’d like to raise.
"We’ve received calls for service relating to this area and have responded to them. The area has been baited and will be baited again in the coming weeks. Residents are encouraged to report any issues they have with rats. You can 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."
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