04 October 2023 , 14:08
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An abandoned house plagued with rats has left residents in turmoil with the problem becoming so bad that neighbours had to throw the rodents back over their fence, they claimed.
Residents living next to the empty property in Spinningdale, Arnold, Nottingham, claimed they haven't seen the owners in "years" and said the building has gone downhill.
Gedling Borough Council has confirmed an investigation has been launched following concerns that the home is "bringing down the area." Neighbours have become so distressed that they started a petition in a bid to get the property cleaned up. The page states the property poses 'risks to both human and animal health.'
An investigation has been launched into the property (Nottinghamshire Live/BPM Media)Elliott Frier, 24, whose partner is behind the petition, said residents have become fed-up, reports Nottinghamshire Live. He added: "The house is in a disgusting state, there are dead rats in the garden. Their garden is pushing into both sides of the houses attached to it, it’s bringing the state of the area down completely.
"If you just go down the street, you’ll know exactly which house I’m on about because of how bad it is. There are a few trees in their garden that just keep growing and eventually, it’s going to be a risk and the council will have to bring it down."
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Elliott, who has lived in Spinningdale for two years, said the owners of the house used to only come to collect their post. He explained: "Everyone in the neighbourhood sticks together and we all get along very well.
"We are all sick of this house. Our neighbours have been here for years, way longer than we have, and they’ve been going to the council since 2005 about this house causing rats and bringing the general street down. It’s just a big mess. They used to come and collect the mail, but in the two years we’ve been here, we’ve never seen them."
Residents claim the owners have disappeared (Nottinghamshire Live/BPM Media)Linda Hill, 65, also said she found a dead rat in the garden recently. She said: “I’ve been here for just over two years now and it’s been like that since I’ve been here. I found a dead rat in my garden last week and I just threw it back over the fence and pest control came around. I also saw a mouse about a year ago. I’ve heard the owners haven’t been here in over 10 years. When I first moved here, I saw them a couple of times but didn’t realise it was them. They came to collect their mail."
Another neighbour, Steven Rostron, 44, also confirmed he hasn't seen the owners of the house 'in years'. He said: “I’ve seen rats in next door’s garden within the last week. The state of the house just brings the area down a bit. We’ve not seen the people who claim to live there in a long time. I agree with the petition. I know the person who previously lived at one of the houses attached to the abandoned one, she’d been complaining to the council for 10-15 years and wasn’t getting anywhere. I think it eventually got to her and that’s why she moved out.”
Councillor Henry Wheeler, Gedling Borough Council portfolio holder for lifestyles, health and wellbeing, addressed concerns and said: "I do understand the concerns of local residents in terms of the state of the property, but I'm confident that the officers of the council, given the concerns I've raised and having gone back through the casework relating to the property, will investigate this and take action to remediate any of the issues there.
"I've immediately acted upon the request of the resident to try and get some work to remediate the issue around that property because that property is in a dire state. I do know that officers have been looking into it and they've been trying to establish whether the property is empty or not."
He added that the safeguarding surrounding the owners needs to be looked into. "The legal issues around this investigation are very complex," he said. "At the end of the day neighbours shouldn’t have to put up with the environmental health issues caused by this property, so the sooner the issues are resolved the better.”
A Gedling Borough Council spokesperson reportedly said: “We are aware of a petition regarding the condition of a property in Arnold and officers are investigating. Officers will be carrying out work to assess health and safety concerns around the site and, if needed, will work with the owners to find a solution." The petition gathered more than 40 signatures at this time. To view the petition visit here. The Mirror has contacted the council.