'We're living in a rat run' - the elderly folk in Corby who can hear vermin in their ceilings

Older residents of an assisted living complex in Corby say they have had enough after living with a rat infestation for two years.

They say they are sick of hearing rats running across their ceilings inside the roof and say they are scared, particularly at night when the rats are active.

Former steelworks crane driver Pat Martin said: “On a Saturday night, Michael Flatley and his troupe comes out. I’ve never heard anything like it.

“You are scared sometimes. The thought of waking up in the night and there being one there is too much.”

But despite their desperation, North Northamptonshire Council has told this newspaper that there is no infestation.

All the pensioners live in Sykes Court, off Rockingham Road in Corby, which is council-owned assisted living complex with 21 flats and a communal living room and gardens.

Council rat catchers have been out several times but have not managed to tackle the problem. One resident described rat droppings ‘pouring to the ground’ when the worker lifted a tile in a false ceiling in the day room. And when a rat recently died in the ceiling, residents had to put up with the putrid smell for weeks.

One resident has taken to going around searching for rat holes herself and has been able to show the council’s pest control operatives how they are getting into the building. She even managed to catch one on camera.

Resident Glenys Walstyn said: “The rat catcher won’t put poison down because if a rat dies in the garden and a red kite picks it up, the poison will kill it.

"I’ve been round looking for holes – I found four – and around the car park looking for dead rats.

"We were told we had to take down our bird feeders from the garden because the rats might be eating the food so we did that two years ago. They put traps down but the rats aren’t stupid. They just avoid them.”

Sykes Court sits between a school, an allotment and West Glebe Park so residents suspect the building is being used as a rat run between the three.

In December the residents did not have working emergency cords in their rooms for weeks because the rats had chewed through the alarm system’s electrics.

Despite this, a recent communication from the council said that there was ‘no evidence of rats going into individual flats’.

Bill Jenkins said: “We’ve all heard the rats. They must be having a laugh. We’re not daft.

“They’ve gnawed through all my wires in the flat.”

In a statement, North Northamptonshire Council denied to our reporters that the home is ‘not infested’, despite using the word in ‘infestation’ in communications seen by our reporter which were sent to residents in December. Residents have also been asked not to speak to the Northants Telegraph.

When Cllr Mark Pengelly (Lab, Lloyds) visited last week he could heard the rats for himself in the ceilings. He has since tried to force council officers to act more quickly on behalf of the residents.

He said: “These people are of pensionable age and have given their lives to this town.

"We should be giving them our support.

"This has gone on for far too long.”

NNC’s executive member for housing Cllr Mark Rowley (Con, Ise) said: “On July 24, 2023, we received a complaint relating to rats at Sykes Court, Corby, and since then teams from housing, environmental health, and repairs have attended the site on several occasions.

“Residents also advised that they had experienced problems in the past, with several treatments having previously been carried out.

“We have undertaken further work including providing additional traps and installing cement and wire mesh around an external utility box, that had been identified as a possible source of entry.

“We are working to clear gutters and secure any pipes that may provide entry, including additional protection around the bin store areas.

“This week we will be putting cameras through the pipes to identify if there are any broken pipes that may be allowing access. In addition, colleagues from grounds maintenance will be attending site to cut back foliage around the perimeter of the scheme.

“We are also inspecting surrounding land to try and identify any rats’ nest or breeding area as this will assist to fully eliminate the problem.

“The housing scheme is safe and is not infested, although we recognise how upsetting this can be for residents.

“I would like to reassure everyone that North Northamptonshire Council is working to resolve the issue.”