A pensioner living with a colony of rats in her roof has slammed Milton Keynes Council for not helping with the problem.

She has been chatting to people on the Nextdoor app and says she is "astonished" at the number of people who have them in their gardens.

It is believed lockdown may have increased the problem, as more rats gravitated to domestic premises without their usual rich pickings from food business and restaurant bins.

" I, unfortunately, also have them in the roof of my garage conversion so technically they are in my home," said the pensioner.

"I reported to the council as soon as I was aware that I had a rat problem. The council do not now have a pest controller so they sent a man from Environmental Health, who had a good look around and confirmed my suspicions."

MK Council no longer pays for pest control treatment for its tenants and people are referred to the private contractor SDK Environmental Ltd, who trade as DialAPest. They charge £39.50 a visit, but there is a discount price of £19.75 for people on certain benefits.

The pensioner paid for DialAPest to visit and lay poison. But, a week later, the rats are back - and they seem bigger and bolder than ever.

"Today the environmental health officer came back for another look and he thinks the rats are making bigger holes... He told me that the rats are now starving and becoming braver," said the pensioner.

She added: "I have discovered, to my horror, that there are many many people in Milton Keynes with rat problems and most are dealing with it themselves .Therefore the council will not be fully aware of the enormity of the problem.

"Rats are a serious health hazard and the fact that Council has stopped employing it's own Pest controller is a disgrace...Firstly, most people do not know enough to deal with rats safely and properly and secondly we pay rates expecting the council to use the money to safeguard us all.

"Why should we have to pay an outside company to do the council's job?"

A council spokesman said: "If you are a Milton Keynes Council tenant you are responsible for treatment within your home... Milton Keynes residents are offered a comprehensive pest control service via our approved vendor SDK Environmental Ltd.

People can also use the services of any approved pest controller and there is a list of companies on the MK Council website.

The council will, however, pay for pest control if the rats are found on public land.

A rat colony can start with one individual pregnant rat moving into a new area and unless there are obvious signs of damage such as torn packages or droppings, the infestation may not be noticed in the early stages.

Colonies breed rapidly, with a rat pregnancy lasting just 21 days. A single female produces a litter of about six to eight young. These can feed themselves after three weeks and reproduce when they are around eight to 12 weeks old.

The pensioner said: "This problem need all the publicity possible because unless it is brought under control properly we will have a serious epidemic of rat-borne diseases. Can the Citizen speak for us please as I am deaf and am very old? Please be our champion."