Chaos of rat-infested 'sinkhole' at council flats unrepaired for six months

Residents of a council-owned block of flats in Nottingham say their cars have been destroyed by rats escaping from a sinkhole that has been left unrepaired for six months. The unexpected pit, at Manvers Court in Sneinton, has been reported to their property managers numerous times by neighbours.

But half a year on, it remains patched over with a yellow plastic lid. And one resident estimates that 22 vehicles have been wrecked by the rodents chewing through wires.

Nottingham City Council confirmed a contractor should be on site early next week to fix the issue, which was reported to the local authority as a "cracked and uneven path". Denise Drury, who has lived in the block for 42 years, said: "My son lost his van.

"He took it for an MOT, and they lifted the bonnet up and they asked him if he'd been anywhere where there is a lot of rats. They found rat droppings in the bonnet.

"Then they found a cable had been chewed through. They repaired it but he was out driving one day, back down here from up north, and his car started making a funny noise and then smoking. He had to get it towed and it was ruined."

Residents believe that the sinkhole has been caused in the first place by rats burrowing into the soft ground under the paving slabs and bricks in the entrance to the property. Initially, when it was reported, the council only provided the two orange warning barriers to warn people that it was there.

It was only a few months later than the yellow board was put down to temporarily cover the hole up. But it can be dislodged easily and is a temporary solution.

Denise said: "We've reported and reported and reported. The caretakers have reported it too. We think they're breeding down there. Nobody bothers with us."

The crevice where the bricks have come away allegedly leads down to sewers. Rat droppings are visible in the hollow.

But residents know for certain that there are rats because they have seen them scuttling around the car park, and because of the damage to their cars. One owner showed Nottinghamshire Live a video of a rat in his engine, which had been killed after being electrocuted.

BMW owner Mohammed has taken to spraying his own home-made anti-rat solution - made of cayenne pepper, vinegar, garlic, chilli flakes, rosemary, mint - around his car, in order to keep the rodents away. But he's already lost another vehicle - a Renault - to the rats.

He said: "I wanted that car for my daughter. It's really sad. But the rats ate every single red wire. They thought it was meat. The cost to repair it and get it back on the road was not worth it. But I can't lose my BMW. I'm not rich. We're not rich. We're poor. Something has to be done."

Resident Lucio Valentino added: "There are kids that play out here too. That's an added concern."

A Nottingham City Council spokesperson said: “The contractor should be on site early next week to fix the issue, which was reported to us as a cracked and uneven path.

"We have already carried out drainage surveys on the site and fixed anything that needed doing. We will also be doing another survey of all of the drains starting next week to look for any more deterioration.

"At the moment, we don’t believe the issue with this manhole is causing more pest activity in the area. However, pest control visited in October and baited the area and we will continue to carry out investigations when issues like these are flagged to us."