Larbert widow's nightmare as rats overrun her home and garden

The pests have even put her life at risk after chewing through electrical wires and the brake cable in her car, she added.

Joyce Adams has lived in her home at Wester Carmuirs Loan, Larbert for over 17 years. She said for the first 15 years the only vermin she ever saw in her garden was an occasional field mouse.

But her nightmare began after the six foot fence surrounding her home blew down in January 2024.

Falkirk Council has told the widow that they don’t have a contractor to carry out the work and a “limited budget” for repairs.

They added that they “prioritise urgent repairs which directly affect public safety” but then add that Joyce’s case is being treated as a priority.

Her home and that of her neighbours is surrounded by farmland. She said: “Every time the tractor comes into the field the rats all come into our gardens.”

However, the issue isn’t just the seven rats that she found dead under her decking, it is that they are now coming into her home.

Joyce said: “They have eaten their way into my garden shed and also ate the gate which I had replaced but they are eating it again.

"They have gone up a pipe and into my loft through an air vent. This was fixed by the council but they have now got under the roof tiles and have been running about the loft for months, eating the lagging.

"I have not had a night’s sleep for six months as all I can hear when I lie in my bed is the rats scurrying about the loft.

"I’m disabled and the only time I leave the house is for hospital appointments. It’s unbearable.”

She recently went to switch on the water pump for her garden pond but noticed that the rats had chewed the wiring. Joyce said she could have been electrocuted had she touched it.

The RAC also found rats under the bonnet of her car with cables chewed.

Despite having had a pest control company out on three occasions, the problem still exists.

Speaking through tears, Joyce said: “It’s awful. Falkirk Council have put up people’s council tax but don’t think that someone stuck in their home for 18 months is important.”

A council insider said that the issue of rats is a “huge” one for the local authority with many tenants reporting infestations.

Falkirk Council scrapped its chargeable pest control service as part of cost-cutting measures in 2022. But that move was criticised by many, saying those on low incomes could not afford to use private contractors.

A Falkirk Council spokesperson said: ““Due to a limited budget and resources, we must prioritise urgent repairs which directly affect public safety, and then carry out further important fencing repairs as soon as funding allows.

"We recognise how distressing the current situation is for the tenant and are actively working to resolve the issues.

"The tenant’s housing officer is treating this case as a priority, and will continue to ensure any necessary work required can be issued."