Govanhill residents complain of rodent infestations in their homes
Last updated 16th Dec 2019
Residents in Govanhill have told Clyde News that rats in the streets and rodent infestations in their flats are common sights.
Hugh Strain, who stays on Boyd Street, says eight rats have been found in his flat in the past five weeks and regularly sees them running around outside homes the area.
He lives in a Govanhill Housing Association property and has reported the problem several times resulting in six call-outs for pest control in just over a month.
Mr Strain says steel wire was put into his flat to try and prevent the issue but that it hasn't solved the problem.
Further requests for areas of the flat that are letting in the rodents to be made rat-proof, have only resulted in offers for further visits from pest control he says. Speaking of the response, he said:
"Indifference basically, I've been down there and asked them. I can't sleep.
"Depression, anxiety, you're afraid in case you wake up next to a rat.
"I'm really struggling at the minute and it's making me depressed because I can't get any help from Govanhill Housing Assosciation, they just pass the buck."
We have asked for their response.
Alexander Brown lives in a privately rented flat in the same street, his home has been plagued by mice since he moved in three years ago. He says it's something that has only got worse with time:
"Since then I just see mice more and more frequently. I'll be sat in the living room and I look up over and there's a mouse sitting in the corner looking at you."
Mr Brown continued, saying it's difficult trying to deal with living in a home infested by rodents:
"You don't feel great about yourself, I take quite a great amount of pride in my house, making sure it's clean, it's a nice place and somewhere I want to come home to.
"When it's something that's in somebody else's control and you have no control over it you just feel a bit helpless."
In May, The Scotsman newspaper reported that 14,000 reports were made to Glasgow City Council about the issue.
The local authority say the number may exaggerate the reality of the issue:
"There were just under that number of reports over a five year period. To be clear, reports are often duplicated - as obviously more than one person may report the same problem, or on more than one occasion."
"You'll appreciate some of these problems will be in private property - albeit, the person making the report will not necessarily be aware of that."
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