A MOTHER claims her house is infested with rats because her next door neighbour is hoarding rubbish.

Lyndsey Jackson, 27, claims the rodents have been coming into her kitchen, living room and bathroom, since she moved in with her boyfriend Shaun Procter six years ago.

The couple, of Harvey Street, have a 15-month-old son, Tommy, and Lyndsey is reluctant to put down rat poison.

"We've always had this problem. Environmental health and pest control are just not interested, no one is listening to us. They keep saying they will ring me back and come out but they never do.

"Last week we caught seven rats in traps. It's disgusting and it's getting beyond a joke."

Lyndsey said there was lot of rubbish outside her neighbour's house and that he has to remove a panel from the door to get inside.

She believes he owns the house, but that he actually lives elsewhere with his parents and is hoarding rubbish inside.

A Barnsley Council spokesman said: "Following an inspection of the property concerned by an enforcement officer, the council will serve a statutory notice on the property owner requiring them to eradicate vermin, prevent further infestation and tidy the property. The council also has the authority to deal with the infestation and charge the owner should they not comply within seven days."