Residents of Cork apartment complex draft petition to have rubbish drawing 'plague of rats' removed
Cllr. Ted Tynan with with residents in the courtyard at the back of the flats in Glenamoy Lawn, Mayfield, where people have dumped rubbish which has caused an infestation of rats. Picture Dan Linehan
Residents of an apartment complex on the northside of the city have drafted a petition to Cork City Council calling for an immediate clean up of the courtyard of the property.
Resident Nicole Woods told The Echo that a further eight to ten rats were spotted in the hallway of her flat when she and a friend were taking out the bins on Monday night.
She said that the rats have been seen “climbing up the walls” and that residents are “living in absolute fear”.
“This has been an issue numerous times with these flats. The illegal dumping out the back has gone beyond a joke. I feel like I am getting nowhere and we are living in absolute fear,” she said.
Stephanie Murphy who has two young children aged seven and eight said that the situation, although escalated in recent months, has been ongoing for the past three years.
She said that her garden fence has been “chewed by rats”.
“It's affecting us all, I can't open my back door or kitchen window because it faces out the back,” she said.
Estella Woods said she witnessed six rats jump out of her bins when she was taking them out for collection recently.
She said that she fears for her health and her children’s health as they cannot open any windows or doors which is causing dampness in the house.
“Pest Control has come out and said that it’s an ongoing problem and until the rubbish problem is sorted, it’s pointless,” she said.
Worker’s Party councillor Ted Tynan said that he is asking the City Council to “clean up the courtyard and make it a pleasant place and a safe place for these residents to live”.
Cork City Council has been contacted by The Echo for comment.
