Mum calls for help as disabled son forced to live in Chesterfield council flat plagued by months of rat infestations

Alison Taunton, 60, a mum-of-three, has been left disappointed by Chesterfield Borough Council after her disabled son Ricky has been suffering due to constant rat infestations at his council flat at Kendal Road.

Ricky Miles, 38, suffers from Goldenhar syndrome, a rare condition that causes underdevelopment of bones affecting the face and spine.

Due to Goldenhar syndrome Ricky was born without ears and suffering from scoliosis.

The rats infestations, which have been plaguing his flat, left Ricky stressed and unable to keep any food in his kitchen.

Miss Taunton said: “With his disability and mental health, the rats get Ricky really stressed.

"He is worried because he had them before and nothing has been done to stop them and now they are back.

"It’s ridiculous.”

Ricky first reported a rat infestation in his council flat in 2024 but was unable to get any help from the council.

His mum and sister took it upon themselves to get rid of the pests.

Miss Taunton said: "Back in 2024 I rung the council up to report it, to which I was told they didn't have pest control anymore.

"My son bought some gear and protective clothes including overalls and gloves to clear out cupboards.

"All the food in the cupboard had to be chucked away because there were rat faeces and urine everywhere.

"There were also faeces and urine under the bath so we had to clear it out.

"We found a big hole in the cupboard and in the floor so we we filled holes with expanding foam.”

But eventually the rats chewed through and returned earlier this year – with the infestation getting worse than before.

Miss Taunton reported the issue to the council and was surprised to hear there was in fact pest control available this time.

She added: “When they told me about I said that's funny because I've been told you don't have pest control anymore.

"The person on the phone said we've always had pest control.”

The authority sent a pest control worker out to assess the situation and he has distributed rat poison to help mitigate the situation – but he told the family the rate were getting into property through holes in the wall and unless the issue was fixed the rat would likely keep coming in.

The pest control worker later submitted a report to the council asking for the holes to be filled in.

Miss Taunton has also contacted the council to ask for repairs to the holes and to a damaged pipe.

She said: “The council sent someone to sort this this damaged pipe, but they never filled any holes so the rats keep coming through.” Miss Taunton has been repeatedly asking the authority to fill in the holes since May – yet she has not received any confirmation when the repairs would be carried out.

She has submitted complaints to the council but never heard back or received any acknowledgement of her complaints.

In the meantime the rats reportedly took over the kitchen and the bathroom, distributing poison granules everywhere including a cutlery drawer.

Miss Taunton said: “They kept coming through the cupboards into the kitchen.

"My son found some blue poison in his cutlery drawer.

"I was told by the pest control man that rats can carry the poison in the cheeks wherever they go and dispose of it there, so they even got there.

“They ripped open the dog's biscuit bag and ate it all.

"They've gone into his wash basket and urinated and chewed things through in the bathroom.”

The situation has escalated, severely impacting Ricky’s health and mental health.

Miss Taunton explained: “My son is not even buying any food because he's frightened of getting poisoned by the rats because he doesn't know if they're crawling over his sides in the kitchen.

"He is not having baths because the rats are going into the bathroom.

"Recently, my son took ill and was a in a lot pain with his stomach and had sore throat.

"I took him to the doctors, and they said he had gastroenteritis.

"I looked this up, and apparently gastronitis can be carried from can be caught from rats.

"His dog's ill too. He's been throwing up and he has big hives on his skin.

"We think this is all coming from the rats.

"I have been in contact with the council many a time since May. It’s September and we are still waiting for the repairs.”

The Derbyshire Times has approached Chesterfield Borough Council for a comment and the authority has now promised to carry out the repairs in due course, with works expected to start next week.

A spokesperson for Chesterfield Borough Council said: “Our teams are aware of the issues with rats at this address and are working to resolve them as quickly as possible.

“We understand that issues like this can be upsetting for tenants, and we apologise for the impact is has had on those affected.

“Following a recent inspection, our pest control team identified holes near to the drains close to the property. Access to this area was blocked by brambles, and we have arranged for these to be cleared so that the necessary repairs can be carried out to prevent rats from being able to get into the home.

“Repair works have been scheduled and will start next week. In the meantime, additional bait has been laid as part of our ongoing pest control measures while the repairs are completed.

“We have been in regular contact with the tenant throughout this process and will continue to keep them updated on the actions being taken.”

The council did not confirm why the repairs were not carried out earlier.