Neighbours say rats ‘swing out of the curtains’ at derelict home in North Dublin

Fiona Frawley

One neighbour had to re-home their dog, as she was constantly being bitten by rats in the back garden.

Neighbours of a derelict house in North Dublin have been majorly impacted by a rat infestation at the premises, The Independent reports.

Residents in the area claim rats are “swinging from the curtains” at the abandoned house, and one person was bitten by a rat as they tried to remove rubbish from the garden.

The property at 14 Lorcan Cresent, Santry, has been added to the list of derelict sites since being abandoned seven years ago, and Dublin City Council have made attempts to acquire the house.

The property was abandoned seven years ago. Image via Google Maps.

‘Highly infested’

Neighbours have told The Independent that the property has been taken over by rats and foxes and the infestation is now affecting their own homes.

“They swing out of the curtains and they pulled them down eventually… it’s highly rat infested,” said one neighbour, who has called pest control numerous times.

One neighbour even had to find a new home for her dog, Tiny, as she was regularly being bitten by rats in her own back garden.

“Living next door to it, I get the rats, foxes. I had to let my little dog go, she was getting eaten alive,” she said.

“She loved the garden out the back, but she started getting very fretful. She was practically eaten alive. The vet bills were getting huge.

“I had to give her away to somebody to mind her. I couldn’t believe I had to let the dog go, it was a big loss,” she added.

Pest Control

Neighbours have even found rats in their own homes as a result of the infestation, with the same woman who lives next door recounting an incident where she was watching TV and “heard what I would consider the sound of a knife and fork hitting the plate”.“I heard a crash and bang. I opened the door and walked in and a rat jumped off the table and straight under the cooker… I was bawling,” she said.

The overgrown back garden has also attracted a den of foxes, who “wail around at night like banshees”.

Neighbours have also expressed concerns as there are a number of children living in the area.

Families in the area have previously contacted pest control over the rodents, but were told they must be living in the property for pest control to enter.

A spokesperson for Dublin City Council told The Independent that the rat infestation is an issue for the HSE and it cannot comment on the ongoing acquisition process.

Header image via Shutterstock

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