Cork City Council flats ‘are overrun with rats’, residents claim

“Thousands” of rats “the size of small dogs” are using an abandoned network of pipes and tunnels to get into northside social housing flats, locals claim.

The situation is being exacerbated, they say, by a small minority of tenants dumping rubbish in the area.

Residents of Ard Bhaile and Glenamoy Lawn in Mayfield told The Echo that the estates are currently “overrun” with rats, which are gnawing through walls and doors.

There are 157 homes in Ard Bhaile, and 109 in Glenamoy Lawn.

Almost a decade ago, Cork City Council replaced the heating system in the estates, which had previously used an air-to-water system.

The new air-to-air system, introduced between 2016 and 2017, is extremely unpopular with tenants, who have variously described it as extremely expensive to use and “completely useless”.

Tenants claim rats are using the estates’ former boiler room’s tunnels and pipes to move between the flats.

The issue is being made worse, locals say, by a minority of tenants who are dumping rubbish in the central green area of the Glenamoy Lawn flats, of approximately two acres. That square is overgrown and littered, with locals saying it is “crawling” with large rats.

Ted Tynan, Workers’ Party councillor for the north-east ward, said the council needs to clear the central area and concrete it, and address the infestation in the boiler house.

“There is a huge threat to public health and safety. There is a severe infestation of rats the size of small dogs, huge things, numbering in the thousands,” Mr Tynan said.

 “There’s one woman here, who, after three months, the council came up and repaired the base of her hot press.

“The rats had eaten through the floor and gotten into the flat.

“The council sealed the damage and got rid of the problem, but the rats are still outside the door, in the overgrown green area, and they’re down in the tunnels underneath the flats.”

One local man, Seán, a resident for the past 30 years, said the council had previously cleared out “18 artics full of rubbish” the last time it had cleaned the central area.

“If they clean it this time, they need to concrete over the area,” he said.

Another local complained that a small minority was causing problems for everyone in the area. She said: “I’m paying €325 a year for my rubbish to be collected and I can’t hang out my laundry for fear I’ll get bitten by a rat.”

Cork City Council was asked for comment.