“Cat-sized rats” have ravaged a UK street – and locals are too scared to leave their homes.
The frightened Derby residents are plagued by the fearless 14-inch rodents – and the locals even tell how they defended themselves against the “fearless” pests with wooden boards.
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Three rats have been spotted near Whiston Street in DerbyImage Credit: SnapperSK
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It is common to tip flies on Whiston Street as locals seek advice from the adviceImage Credit: SnapperSK
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Jackie Titterton, 66, uses wood to scare away rats near her homePhoto credit: John Siddle
The humble Whiston Street and Oak Street in Derby were ravaged by vermin after they became a dumping ground for brazen fly-dumpers.
Jackie Titterton, 66, told Sun Online how locals in the area plug their drains to keep the rats out – and showed how she used a solid piece of wood to scare them away.
“I’m sick of living here. We are only overrun by rats and mice. It’s just getting worse, “she said.
“The rats are as big as cats – they’re huge. I looked through the window and saw a rat dragging a whole pizza down a chute.
“Nobody listens to us. We need help.”
Shane McDuffus, 48, asked Sun Online for help shaming the council presidents and said, “It’s damn dirty in here. It’s disgusting.
“There are dozens of rats, they’re huge – their tails are eight inches long.
“The place is completely riddled with holes. They are everywhere at night. When you wake up in the morning there will be half a dozen dead on the street. “
In just ten minutes of arriving on Whiston Street Street, 12 rats were spotted, including one darting into a homeowner’s basement.
Rats and mice were also seen hopping between garbage-strewn green spaces, and one rat was even confronted with a pigeon.
Pal Michael Walsh, 44, added, “It’s an asshole. I’ve lived here all my life. In the last 15 years it has degenerated into a garbage dump.
“Nobody uses the hollows, they use the road. My mother has lived here all her life and she is thinking about selling and leaving.
“It will only get worse here if the Council does nothing.”
Locals today shared how gruesome footage of a rat and a crow turning away for food was just the tip of the iceberg – and how they use wooden planks to repel the pests.
Yesterday, footage surfaced of the crow and giant rat quarreling on Whiston Street.
Locals say the vermin is “fearless” – and act like they’re in charge.
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Shane McDuffus (L) and Michael Walsh, both from Derby, are disgusted with how the area has turned out and describe it as a “dump”.Image Credit: SnapperSK
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Whiston Street has been called “one of the worst in Derby”Image Credit: SnapperSK
Aneka Buctkaur stated that she was afraid to go outside and said, “You are completely fearless.
“It’s like they’re in charge.
Aneka’s aunt Aruna, 50, has lived on Oak Street all her life.
She said the pandemic made flies tipping in the area much worse.
“People go into the area and dump their rubbish,” she said.
“I’m sick of it, to be honest.
“The garbage will be piling up by the end of the week. The council needs to set up cameras and get that under control.”
The shopkeeper Jas Rattu, whose phone shop is on Whiston Street, blames the fly-tipping for the rat infestation.
“People are dumping their rubbish everywhere,” he says.
“There are a lot of takeaways that don’t use their trash cans. They just throw their trash on the street.
“At the end of the week, all the trash piles up and the rats come out.”
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Locals have described the rats in the area as “fearless”Image Credit: SnapperSK
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Garbage bags are being removed from the streetsImage Credit: SnapperSK
Whiston Street and Oak Street are located in one of the most criminal areas of Derby.
According to police statistics, the area has been ravaged by drugs, theft and fly tipping.
The area where it is located, Rose Hill, reported 301 crimes – the latest data available – in April 2021, with antisocial behavior, as well as violence and sexual offenses being the most common.
Compared to 179 in neighboring Sinfin and Osmaston and 262 in Derby city center.
A Derby City Council spokesman said: “Derby City Council’s StreetPride team has received no reports or complaints regarding
these roads in 2021.
“However, this area is a well-known hotspot that ours regularly visit
Officials and our public protection team have issued a number of FPNs for fly tipping offenses on Oak Street and Whiston Street over the past 6 months.
“The team will revisit the area and take the necessary steps to investigate the fly tipping for evidence of guilt and then arrange for litter to be removed from public land.
“Any fly tipping on private property requires us to notify the landowners or have them clear out the trash.
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“The council offers residents and landlords a fee-based pest control service on request.
“Our environmental services and the StreetPride team rely on fly tip incidents to be reported so we can take immediate action.
“We take typing flying very seriously and anyone who decides to ruin our city and is caught doing it can expect a fine or criminal prosecution.”