A young woman who recently moved into her new home has revealed that she does not feel she is being "taken seriously" by the council - despite the home being infested by rats and hoards of maggots.
The 22-year-old - who wishes to remain anonymous - moved into a council flat in Netherhall, Leicester as part of a mutual exchange - but was not informed of the state of the property before picking up the keys.
Her hopes of a fresh start were squashed after finding the abode plagued by rats and maggots falling from the ceiling.
The tenant thought the change would be good for her, after struggling with mental health issues, but since moving into the Leicester City Council-owned flats in June 2022, she has admitted that her problems have just gotten worse.
Since, the Netherhall resident has been faced with a persistent rat problem, with pest control having to be regularly called to the address in Grantham Road.
The 22-year-old has now admitted that Leicester City Council are not taking her, her mental health or her living situation seriously.
She revealed that another resident told her that the problem in the council flats has long been affecting the neighbouring blocks as well.
While the council has now confirmed that it is aware of the issue - which is thought to be caused by problems with the property's drainage system - and is working hard to address it, the young tenant feels that she is unable to live comfortably.
In fact, the disclosed that she wishes she never made the move in the first place.
Opening up about the situation, the 22-year-old told Leicestershire Live : "After I moved in June, I started noticing things had been chewed up like my furniture and my stuff. My neighbour said it had been going on for a few years so I should have been informed.
"I can hear them in the walls and the ceiling all day and night. I've even had maggots falling out of the ceiling.
"I barely use the kitchen because of it. It's disgusting. It makes me never want to have people over."
The tenant also took a number of videos over several nights to show the horrific state of her home. In the footage, loud scurrying can be heard coming from the walls and ceiling of the property.
Meanwhile, images of the property also showed maggots in a bucket, which the tenant said came from her ceiling. And another picture horrifically shows a matted dead rat on a ledge just outside of the property.
The tenant added that despite numerous requests, the flats had not been allocated a housing officer and believed their concerns were falling on deaf ears.
She said: "Pest control came out and put a rat box in the kitchen," adding: "Then they took out a unit and found a nest behind the cupboard.
"I wouldn't even say [the council] is sorting the problem out. I just have to keep calling pest control."
Following this, the council visited the address with a pest control specialist and a plan of action to deal with the matter was agreed upon with the tenant.
However, the 22-year-old tenant has been left wholly disappointed with her move, saying: "I thought moving here I would get a fresh start.
"I feel like I'm not being taken seriously and I don't want to stay here anymore."
Speaking about the situation and their investigation, a Leicester City Council said: "We are aware of this issue and are currently working to repair the drainage system to the flats, which appears to be causing the issue. This includes carrying out thorough drain tests and installing drain blockers.
"A pest control specialist visited with us on Tuesday, November 15 to look at addressing this issue permanently. We are not aware of this having been an issue over a number of years, but since this has been raised with us we have been working hard to identify the source of the problem and have carried out work throughout the street to remedy contributory issues.
"We spoke to the tenant on Tuesday, November 15, and have agreed a plan of action. A temporary housing officer is in place and is available for tenants to contact."
The Mirror contacted Leicester City Council for a further comment, where they say that the tenant moved into the property after arranging to directly exchange her former property with another council tenant.
They went on to add that in the case of mutual exchanges, the council carries out a technical inspection to check the property is structurally sound, and that no problems were picked up at the time of the inspection.
Follwing the council's investigation of the property since moving, the tenant has today accepted an offer of alternative accommodation while works are carried out.
Speaking to The Mirror, Leicester City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “It’s completely unacceptable that any tenant should find themselves in this situation.
"I have asked for a full investigation to be carried out and have instructed the council to arrange for alternative accommodation while work continues. This offer has been accepted by the tenant."
