A council tenant has revealed the horror of dealing with a rat infestation, damp and holes in his roof that are so wide that daylight comes through them.
Anthony Denness, 59, is a Reading Borough Council tenant living in a semi-detached bungalow in Maker Close, Southcote.
He's been living there for 15 years with his pet dogs. But over the last few years he has allegedly been struggling with damp, mould and a rat infestation.
Mr Denness said: "I've been there for 15 years and I've been an excellent tenant.
"I've been on to the council for the last three years about damp and mould. I've got black mould above the kitchen.
"In the bedroom, I've had the ceiling peeling off and falling on my head."
In recent months he has reportedly had a stark problem with a rat infestation, with the rodents allegedly sheltering in his loft.
READ MORE: Neighbours feel 'ignored' as rats infest homes in Southcote
Mr Denness said: "It's been a very bad infestation. Pest UK came out and did a marvellous job. They've treated the loft three times with poison.
"So that's been sorted, but what remains is the mould and the structural damage.
"The roof was totally infested with rat urine and faeces.
"It smelled horrendous. It smelled of the dead bodies of the rats."
Pest UK last visited on Tuesday, October 8 to remove the contaminated insulation.
Mr Denness claims: " They had to wear breathing apparatus, it was like the scene of a crime my house, was with all the white uniforms, masks, breathing apparatus.
"They bagged all the old insulation and put it all in a skip.
"They found eight rat nests. There were nests and 16 dead fermented rat bodies that were dried up all in the insulation."
Photos provided show a dead rat on his roofing, torn-out insulation and holes in the roofing where daylight is piercing through.
Mr Denness said: "It’s absolutely disgusting that the daylight can be seen through the roof.
"There are clearly gaps there, so there is a good chance that rats can get through and occupy the loft again."
Mr Denness is in an ongoing dispute with the council over the insulation. He claims the council's housing team wanted to fit insulation improperly before the carcasses of the dead rats had been removed.
The case is complicated by Mr Denness' health problems, as he has been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
He has approached a solicitor to make a disrepair claim against the council, as well as his claims of harm to health and distress.
When confronted with his case, a council spokesperson said: "This case is a matter currently being dealt with by the council’s legal team.
"Whilst we refute the accuracy of the claims by the tenant, we cannot comment further at this time pending the legal matters being resolved."
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