“We feel completely let down”
15:30, 23 Aug 2025Updated 15:35, 23 Aug 2025
The garden is shared by several properties (Image: Jason Roberts / Manchester Evening News)
A woman in Stockport says she can’t enjoy a communal garden outside her home because it’s infested with fleas – and claimed the problem has not been fixed despite reporting it to the council.
Emma Laycock, 34, lives in a flat on Betley Road in Reddish with her eight-year-old dog Buster.
The flat and garden are managed by Stockport Homes – a social housing provider owned by Stockport council – but Emma said every time Buster goes out in the garden he ends up full of fleas.
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Emma says she has to clean fleas from Buster several times a day.
She also said she’s been bitten herself from the tiny insects.
The garden is shared with other houses on the road, and Emma says other residents with pets are also suffering from the problem.
“When Buster goes out he’ll be covered in fleas. I have reported it to the council and they’re saying it’s too big a space [to do anything], but as a resident that’s not my issue, they need to do the right thing by people who are living here.
“I’m so sick of this, four or five times a day I have to get his fleas out. There are other animals who are having skin issues on the back of this. We feel completely let down.
“I can’t even go in my own garden, I’ve been bitten like you would not believe, so I’m stuck in a one-bed flat all day. I’ve not spent a minute out here in all the nice weather we had.”
Emma said she moved to the property five years ago, and that it’s also hitting her in the pocket, having to fork out £26 a month on flea treatments, but she says that this is her duty of care as a pet owner.
Emma says the issue is still ongoing despite her reporting it to the council (Image: Jason Roberts / Manchester Evening News)
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Pictures reveal the scale of the problem Emma is facing, showing dozens of fleas removed from Buster when he goes into the garden.
She added: “Buster is my support animal, he goes everywhere with me. I feel bad that we have to do this to him all the time. It decreases his quality of life and mine.”
In response, Stockport Homes said: “We completely understand how upsetting this has been for Emma. Whenever issues like this are raised, we act straight away – consulting pest control experts, arranging treatments where needed, and ensuring our maintenance teams stay on top of the area.
“In this case, we’ve also covered the cost of treatment inside both Emma’s home and her neighbour’s, and our team is scheduled to return to monitor if fleas are still present.
“Tackling fleas in outdoor spaces can unfortunately be an ongoing challenge, but we’ll continue to monitor and support any residents who may be affected.”
Stockport Homes said it has been in regular contact with Ms Laycock about the issue, and will continue to work closely with her, including arranging a tenancy visit to address any other concerns and provide additional support.