WARNING: DISTRESSING IMAGES
(Image: Supplied)
A couple caught in a row over a mice infestation for over a YEAR say they will have to pay ‘thousands’ to remove the rodents.
The Whalley Range homeowners live next to a house owned by One Manchester, which has been subdivided into flats. Renovations to two of the three flats disturbed a mice’s nest in the wall the two buildings share last summer, according to dad-of-three Sham.
The infestation was so severe it affected Sham’s son, Adam, in his A-level studies.
“It was disturbing for my son trying to get his head down,” said Adam’s mum and Sham’s husband, who asked to stay anonymous. “It is distressing for him. The mice were eating from next door and working their way under the floorboards. It’s disgusting. How is he supposed to study like that?”
Sham has shared images of mice he caught beneath floorboards in Adam’s bedroom, with ‘sticky mats’ catching ‘three mice per week’ at the height of the problem.
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Sham added: “We ripped up some of his floorboards on one sticky mat. There were four mice dead, and one had decayed so much there was just bones left. The stench…”
The couple contacted One Manchester last summer to remedy the issue. Despite frequent contact between the housing association and homeowners, surveyor reports, and smaller fixes, neither side can agree how to fix the issue.
(Image: Supplied)
The Local Democracy Reporting Service has seen one report, carried out by Manchester council’s pest control team, in which a surveyor said: “I suspect that due to the wiring and piping within the One Manchester block [mice are] maybe migrating easier to the customers house as a result.”
However, the report does not definitely identify the source of the infestation. One Manchester said it carried out the recommendations, paying for the homeowners’ work too.
However, the couple say to truly eradicate the pests, they need to find ‘thousands’.
(Image: Supplied)
“Pest control said we need to find every entry point so you need to rip up every floorboard touching the neighbouring property, find the holes, and fill them up with cement,” Sham added.
“That would cost thousands of thousands of pounds to do.”
It also appears the rodents are now solely in Sham’s home. A spokesperson for One Manchester said: “While there’s currently no evidence that any infestation originates from one of our homes, we took proactive steps to instruct Manchester City Council to carry out a thorough inspection in the affected home and our adjoining homes.
“This included funding an inspection for the private home and promptly completing all recommendations in the inspection reports. We recognise the impact pest issues can have on residents and the wider community and are committed to working in partnership with our customers, partners, and neighbouring properties to resolve these issues, responding quickly to any concerns within our responsibility.”