A resident in a Bradford sheltered housing complex was horrified to find a dead rat in her kitchen sink.

Anne MacFarlane, of Poplar Court, Princeville Street, Listerhills, found the drowned rodent in her washing up bowl yesterday morning - and she says it was not the first she had come across in her Bradford Council flat. Less than two weeks ago she found one in her toilet.

The 58-year-old said: "I tipped the water out of the bowl yesterday to put some fresh in and the rat just fell out. It was disgusting. If I had put my hands into the water I would have touched it.

"It must have been scurrying around the flat in the night and fallen into the water."

The infestation was reported to Bradford Council in October. Pest-control staff went to the flat to lay down some poison but told Mrs MacFarlane that the holes in her hot water tank needed filling to stop the rats getting into her flat.

She claims that when they returned she was told the rats were not feeding from her flat because the poison had not been touched by them.

"As far as I know mine was the only flat visited by pest control but the rats must be feeding somewhere else,'' she said.

"The holes where they come through are just getting bigger and bigger. I have been phoning the Council to do something about it but nothing has happened.

"The building is filthy. I am so fed up I have put in for a transfer because I can't bear to live here any more. It's horrendous.

"I know that other people have seen rats and mice but are too scared to do anything about it. But it's not right.

A Council pest-control spokesman said: "We understand the concerns raised by Mrs MacFarlane and are doing all we can to alleviate the problem.

"Pest-control officers have visited the property to lay bait and the fact that dead rodents are now being found shows that the treatment has been effective.

"We will continute to monitor the situation and to lay bait until the problem is eliminated."

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