A mum has been forced from her home after finding a dead rat rotting underneath the oven and another spewing blood by her kitchen.
Lauren Butler, 32, has ripped into Clarion Housing Association for failing to sort what she claims is an ongoing problem at her Bevan House flat off Ripon Way, Borehamwood.
The single mum, who lives with autistic daughter Millie, said a rat scurried from her kitchen leaving “blood trails” and caused her 11-year-old to have a panic attack.
Ms Butler’s father later removed the kickboards in search of the rodent only to be hit by a stench of “rotten faeces”.
“It’s an unbearable smell that has caused me nausea and headaches,” she added.
“Right beneath my cooker under the oven, that’s where the dead rat was laying.
“It was flat and it’s insides had leaked out.”
Ms Butler claimed Clarion Housing failed to respond so she got someone else to remove it – but she soon spotted another rat scuttling around her living room.
The stench has since worsened suggesting it has now died, she added, which has forced her and Millie to move into her mother’s house.
“Absolutely nobody should be having to live like this in 2021 or be ignored especially when you’re having to move out because of the smell,” Ms Butler said.
She claimed she has been calling Clarion Housing up to three times daily but the problem remains.
Ms Butler’s neighbour, Zoe Steele, also said she has suffered with a “rat infestation” that has been ongoing for around three months.
She claims to have put traps down and caught three but said due to her health issues the housing association is now taking steps to resolve the problem.
A Clarion spokesperson said: “The safety and wellbeing of our residents is our top priority and we recognise the inconvenience Ms Butler and the other residents of Bevan House have experienced.
"We can confirm that our pest control contractors have visited the building to investigate the problem and have installed communal bait boxes as well as carried out a drain survey."
They continued: "Ms Butler was updated on the progress of the treatments and was informed that there will be ongoing treatments to address the problem.
"We understand this has been an unpleasant situation for Ms Butler’s family and others in the building.
"We will continue the current programme of treatment and will monitor the situation until it is resolved.
"We will continue to provide residents with regular updates while the work is ongoing.”
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