A FINCHAMPSTEAD woman is wishing she had the Pied Piper on speed dial.
Janet Robinson has been suffering the effects of a rat infestation in her neighbour’s house for two years.
She thought she’d struck gold two months ago, when the borough council sent a contractor to remove the rotten decking, acting as a “breeding ground” for hordes of rats next door.
Now they’re in her garden.
She told Wokingham.Today: “There’s big ones and baby ones. Now there’s holes in my garden from where the rats have dug through and come up underneath the fence.
“My grandson came over on Thursday, June 18 to sit in the garden. He went to get a chair from the shed, and it’s infested. There’s white droppings and black droppings — the rats dug a hole to get into my shed.”
The 74-year-old said: “The council won’t accept it’s their rats. Of course it’s their rats, it’s their estate.
“They sent out a contractor who dug the decking up next door. There was decking on top of rotten decking.
“But they’re saying it’s down to me now they’re in my garden. I’ve been invaded by them, I shouldn’t be treated like this. I can’t live in filth.
“I’ll go to court if I have to. I’m not rich but I’ll do it.”
A spokesperson from Wokingham Borough Council said: “We are aware of issues raised by Ms Robinson and have been working with her to resolve it. We have put in place a range of pest control measures such as baiting and removal of the rats’ habitat to help tackle this issue at both her house and the neighbouring property.
“Both properties have been thoroughly investigated by our pest control contractors, some of which are still ongoing. In addition to the pest control contractor visits, council officers have regularly visited her to provide advice and to monitor the situation, most recently on Monday, June 29.
“We will continue to work closely with Ms Robinson to ensure matter is resolved.”
