Housing association taking infestation "very seriously" (From Times Series)

Housing association, Family Mosaic, taking rat infestation in Edgware "very seriously"

2:40pm Monday 24th September 2012 in News By Emma Innes

A housing association says it is taking “very seriously” the rat infestation at one of its Edgware estates.

Family Mosaic says that it is doing everything it can to tackle the infestation at its Symphony Close estate since the problem was exposed by the Times Series last week.

In a statement the housing association said: “We take all pest and animal infestations in any of our homes very seriously. 

“We recognise there is a rodent problem at Symphony Close and we are currently doing all we can to resolve it.

“Since we first became aware of the problem in late 2009, we have made efforts to respond to and resolve this issue and our pest control operatives have made efforts to tackle the problem using a variety of methods. 

“However, we were unable to complete the last treatment due to lack of access to the property. 

“We have now restarted the whole treatment process and we plan to use the latest infrared pest control technology as a solution to ensure that the property at Symphony Close is a safe environment for both adults and children.”

This comes after the Times Series reported the plight of a family living in the estate.

Louise Parker, 29, her partner Darren, 30, and her three children aged one, five and seven, live in one of the infested flats.

They have been forced to dispose of their sofa because mice were nesting in it and have found the creatures nibbling through the wiring of their fridge.

However, their desperation increased two weeks ago when Ms Parker saw a rat run between her feet as she stood in her kitchen.

She was so upset by the experience that she took her family and moved into her mother’s house in Edgware for the weekend.

The full-time mum said: “When I saw the rat I was crying my eyes out. I was petrified.

“It is not safe for us or the kids. My seven-year-old went to school in a right state on Friday. She was sobbing after seeing the rat.”

In recent weeks the family has also started to suffer from stomach complaints which they believe are due to the infestation.

Ms Parker said: “They are making us ill. Rats are constantly weeing and I wonder if that is what is making us sick.

“We just can’t live like this. It is disgusting. Every time I see them it makes me hysterical.”

Ms Parker is not convinced that Family Mosaic will actually deal with the infestation.

She claims it has made this promise numerous times in the past and that a solution has never materialised.