Housing association called after rat found in toilet

THIS is the gruesome sight which one Newbury man claims greeted him in his home on Sunday.
Ian Hollingshead, 34, of Gaywood Drive, who is the lease holder of one flat in a block which is owned by Sovereign, says that the rat was discovered by his lodger and was still alive when it was retrieved from the toilet by his partner.
Sovereign says that it found no evidence of rats when searching the block of flats in Gaywood Drive, but promised to carry out a full survey in the coming days.
Speaking to the Newbury Weekly News this week, Mr Hollingshead said: “It is absolutely disgusting.
“People have been complaining for months about rats. The neighbours are terrified and do not want to live in their homes anymore.
“They (Sovereign) sent out a guy to deal with the rat, but they didn’t turn up for hours. I am not at all happy about it.”
Mr Hollingshead’s partner, Zoe Hill, 26, said: “It was revolting. I had to get the rat out with two tea towels. I’ve got two young children and didn’t want it going anywhere near them. It must have been about six or eight inches long.
“Rats are a problem here - you can always hear them scuttling along the floors and making noises.”
She claimed that pest control didn’t take the rat away and that she was forced to let it go.
However, a spokeswoman for Sovereign, Debbie Down, said: “We had received no complaints about rats in this block until last Friday (25th July). Our technicians went to check these reports with pest control officers and found no evidence of rats in the block. Their search included an empty flat and the drains.
“We have nonetheless decided to carry out a full survey of the entire block in the coming days, and have advised residents of leasehold properties, for which we do not have responsibility, to do likewise.”