Man finds 14 rats in his flat as infestation forces Dublin residents to keep windows closed
Residents of a Dublin city flat complex say they are being overrun with rats, which they are finding inside and outside their homes and even in their cars.
People living at the Oliver Bond complex in the south inner city say they have complained to the local authority but the problem remains, despite Dublin City Council carrying out works already.
One man caught 14 of the rodents in his flat.
Lynette Lyons, one of the residents, says rats are visible all day, every day.
"They're running across the children's feet and all, the children can't even play in playgrounds due to the rats coming out and running across the kid's feet.
A neighbour knocked on my dad's door last week to tell him that there was two huge rats on his window ledge so therefore we can't even open up windows.
She believes it is because of where the bins are in the complex and that there are not enough bins for the residents.
Dublin City Council believes illegal dumping of household waste, fewer pedestrians during the Covid-19 lockdown and the proximity of the River Liffey are all factors.
In a statement, Dublin City Council said it was aware of the issue at the flat complex and that they're 'actively dealing with it'.
They said a survey of the area last year showed that "rats had eaten through brickwork in manholes and somehow managed to get by trap gullies on the roadways".
The Council says factors such as the recent warm weather and the fall in the number of pedestrians have been factors in the recent "large increase in the number of rats coming up from the pipe networks and onto the streets".
Officials also say issues such as illegal dumping and the complex's proximity to the Liffey are factors in the infestation.
They said that the area is being baited on a daily basis, but that pest control firms "can no longer use the stronger pesticides used previously because of changed regulations".
