A FAMILY whose council house has been taken over by "super rats" say they have snared sixty rodents and are embarassed to have visitors.
Sharina Reaney, her husband John and their three children have been living their "worst nightmare" for over a year after the pests invaded their home.
The disease-carrying rats gnawed their way through wood and plaster at their house in Norwich, Norfolk.
And once inside the rodents ruined hundreds of pounds worth of furniture and food.
The stricken family pleaded with the council to do something about the infestation and even pointed out they had trapped more than 60 rats.
But it has taken 14 months for their landlords the Broadland Housing Association to answer their cry for help.
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Sharina, 44, says she can still rodents moving around behind her kitchen cupboards and walls with the landlords seemingly unable to fully eradicate the problem.
The "petrified" mum said that the situation has become a "serious health hazard" for their family.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, she said: "It's dangerous living here. I'm petrified of rats so this is my worst nightmare- very time I went into the kitchen I could hear them – and after poison was put down I could smell them as well.
"The poison works and kills the rats but their rotting bodies give off a dreadful stench.
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"Our dog Milo used to go mad trying to get at them. We have had this problem for more than a year now and the mess they rats leave behind with their faeces is dreadful and has to be cleaned up straight away.
"I've seen them running along the floor and they've literally chewed up our cupboards to get to the food there."
Sharina continued: "We've had pest control people here at least 15 times over the last year and they say that there are gaps under the kitchen floor which let the rats in. They blocked one but the rats simply burrowed another hole to get in.
“It's becoming a serious health hazard – our 16-year-old daughter has had to go to hospital for two days with symptoms like glandular fever and Weils Disease which is passed on by rats."
And the mum said that the "dreadful" ordeal has left her too embarassed to invite pals over.
She added: "It's really embarrassing that I can't even invite people over because of the rat trouble.
"I've been off work for a month because of the affect all this has had on me – it’s been a dreadful experience."
Sharina, who works as a learning support practitioner at City College Norwich, says the housing association has told her it does not have enough funding to replace their kitchen floor in their £520-a-month four-bed home.
A spokeswoman for Broadland Housing Association said: "One of our people attended the property and carried out works to brick up some holes around the lintel last week.
"The manager dealing with these works will be in touch with Mrs Reaney and book an appointment to go and inspect the works and her kitchen cupboards.
"We do apologise to Mrs Reaney about this issue but hope the works that have been carried out will resolve the issue once and for all."
'SUPER RATS'
Pest control firms in the area blame a new strain of poison-resistant “super rats” driving up Britain's rodent population and say the vermin are increasingly getting into homes and gardens around Norwich.
Andrew Dellbridge, director of Ace Pest Control, said: "This is a nationwide problem – rats are becoming used to the bait which is put out either domestically or by professionally.
"This area is one of the designated counties where there is a known resistance to poisoned bait and with the population explosion, this is alarming.
"People should always seek professional advice on what to do before dealing with a rodent infestation themselves."
While local wildlife rescue centre owner Kevin Murphy said rats are wired to survive and have adapted to live in all kinds of conditions.
He said: "Proper controls need to be put in place to prevent them breeding and passing on rogue genes.
"But some rats have are believed to have developed a genetic mutation that makes them resistant to conventional poisons.”
It comes as residents in the worst area in the UK for rat invasions have claimed there are thousands of "2.5 foot" rodents in their town.
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Swansea in Wales, recently gained the unwanted title as the country's most rat-infested area, recording more than 16,000 vermin.
There are now more than 150 million of the disease-ridden pests across Britain – with some as big as cats.
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