Family moved into hotel due to rat infestation

Council bosses have outlined the steps they have taken to help a borough family with rats in their home.
A rat in the family's bathroomA rat in the family's bathroom
A rat in the family's bathroom

Wigan Council said it was "unacceptable" for a family to be living with the creatures and they had moved into a hotel.

Heavily-pregnant Rebecca Asquith and Ross Ashton, along with their three young children, have been blighted by a rodent infestation at their home in Leigh since May.

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Rebecca said she had "reached breaking point" and was concerned for the health of her children.Read more: VIDEO: Huge rats filmed roaming around pregnant mum's house In a statement released on Tuesday morning, the council detailed what they had been doing to help the family.

It said: "There has been a lot of interest on social media regarding a family with rats in their property in Leigh so we wanted to provide an update with what action we have taken since Sunday.

"These include:

- The removal of 15–20 bin bags of household rubbish from the garden that would be a food source to the rats.

- The removal of a number of waste items in the garden including metal, wood, boxes, bed base and three mattresses which could harbour rats.

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- Reinforced advice which we have given over several weeks around food within the property and how it should be used and stored and soiled nappies and pizza boxes removed

- Strimmed the garden to remove all overgrown areas

- Drainage fault identified and immediate repair carried out at next door property

- Repairs carried out on potential access points within the house for vermin and bait traps refilled.

- Offered temporary rehousing to the family so that full baiting within the house can take place and have temporarily placed the family in a hotel

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- Continued support offered for the family regarding housing and wider services.

"We would like to repeat that it is unacceptable for any family to be living with a vermin problem and we are treating this matter seriously and urgently."

However, both Ross and Rebecca responded to the statement on Facebook to dispute the comments made by the council, with Rebecca saying they were told to put the rubbish in the garden so it could be removed.