‘I saw 20 rats in our garden at once

Multiple rats have invaded the garden Residents of a multi-story building in Glasgow have expressed their fear over rats in their communal outside area. The ‘huge’ vermin have wreaked havoc on Earl Street, causing homeowners to live in constant terror. Brenda Smith, a resident who has lived in her ground-floor flat in Scotstoun since 1978, has been forced to stop taking her bin bags out after a rat ran over her foot one afternoon. At one point, she said she witnessed up to 20 rats roaming freely in the garden. Brenda told GlasgowLive: “I am frightened to take the bin out and always take a stick with me and make a noise when I am going into the bins because they are constantly in the bins. “They run behind all the plants, they come out into the grass and run up and down everyday. We are terrified to go out. “I went out one afternoon to put my bin out and they ran over my feet, that’s the last time I went and now leave it to Edward. “Some of them are huge and others are tiny, they are having babies all the time. You can’t sit out because you are scared. It’s absolutely terrifying. “I can’t leave my window open in case they come into my house. I like to sleep with the window open but can’t. It’s like living in hell.” READ MORE: Supermarket infested with rats continued to serve customers [LATEST] The rat problem has left Brenda too scared to go into her own back garden Brenda’s back garden connects to a walkway near the River Clyde, which she believes is the source of the rat infestation. She is concerned that the situation could get “really bad” and is urging Glasgow City Council to take urgent action. She claims bin collectors are refusing to collect bins from the back due to the rat problem. She explained: “At the very back, where the embankment is, it’s all dirt that has come down the embankment. It’s going to get really bad. “We were last month told they are going to move the bins because the bin men are refusing to empty the bins from the back. We were told the bins are going around the front and they are going to put poison everywhere but that didn’t happen.” Brenda is calling for the council to address the issue by cutting back the shrubbery in the embankment, treating the holes where rats are seen emerging, and taking responsibility for the collection of bins, which residents pay council tax for. Trending In response to the situation, Glasgow City Council has said they are working closely with the local housing association to tackle the problem. A spokesperson for the council explained: ‘We are aware of this situation and we have been working closely with the local housing association to address the problem. ‘Back courts along this part of Earl Street are linked together and unfortunately some of the bin areas have been kept in poor condition, which has attracted rats into the communal area in search of food. ‘Extensive bait has been laid down, bin areas have been cleaned and housing association staff will move bins to the street for collection, which will help to maximise the effectiveness of the pest control measures in place. ‘As the food supply of the rats is being disrupted, rats have gone into other parts of the garden in search of food and may be more visible for a time while the bait takes effect. ‘We will continue to monitor this situation closely along with the housing association until the issues are resolved.’ This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, which speed up Express.co.uk’s editorial research. A news editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to readercomplaints@reachplc.com.