A NEWPORT woman says her landlord has been slow to act after rats overran her house.

Deborah Oak has lived in West Street, in the Baneswell area of the city, for four years.

She says that the property has had ongoing problems with rats for some time.

"They have had the run of the house," she said.

"No amount of poison will do anything."

To make matters worse, Ms Oak said that her house was also infested with flies and maggots after some of the rats died underneath her floorboards.

"The house stunk because of dead rats throughout that summer before Covid," she said.

According to Ms Oak, estate agent Haart have not done enough to fix the issue.

"Haart never blocked the holes that the rats made," she said.

She claims the firm also failed to fix a wall in the kitchen where the rats had chewed through the drywall.

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"I had to block with carrier bags and Gorilla tape," she said.

"I am very anxious in the house and always feel on edge."

Ms Oak, who works 12-hour shifts as a support worker and carer in St Peters Hospital, said that she was made to feel "a nuisance" when she rang Haart to complain.

"A few months ago I rang and said there were rat droppings on my kitchen window," she said.

"The man who answered laughed after saying 'they are outside, it doesn't matter'."

Haart have completely refuted any suggestion of complaints being laughed off.

"We would never behave in such a manner," they said. 

Ms Oak says that now the problem has got the point where her mental health is "ruined".

"My daughter is the only reason I try anymore," she said."

A spokesperson for Haart said: “We are extremely sorry that the tenant is still experiencing problems with rodents.

"We took action in the summer to stop this from happening, but it appears contractors who were meant to carry out further remedial work haven’t done so. 

“We have actioned this as a matter of urgency and a contractor has now visited the tenant to assess the situation and ensure any holes are blocked.

"As a responsible and caring lettings agency, we pride ourselves in managing properties to a high standard and will always act as quickly as possible to ensure issues are resolved for tenants.”