Limerick family's home 'under attack' by 'rats like cats'
Homeowners spend €1,500 on measures keep rodents out
A LIMERICK family who say their home is “under attack” from “rats like cats” are facing the prospect of having to move out of their home for six weeks.
Kieran and Laura Ginty, who have two teenage daughters, have already spent more than €1,500 trying to rid their home of rodents.
“The Rentokil man is nearly a daily visitor at this stage,” said Kieran, who, like his wife, works as a public servant.
“He showed us one big rat he caught. It was like a cat. You could see the fur and tail. He brought it out to the van. I went out to his van 10 minutes later, and the white bag was full of bluebottles.”
Having consulted Rentokil and the council's environmental health officer, the couple have concluded the rats are escaping from the building site of the former Limerick to Foynes rail line which is being redeveloped after it was left abandoned 20 years.
It comes as councillors agreed to lobby Irish Rail for compensation for homeowners impacted along the train line which is to re-open next year.
The councillors believe the removal of shrubbery to allow the rail reopening has sparked the infestation.
However, Irish Rail has said it's found “no evidence of rodent infestation issues” in the area it is working in, and have installed bait boxes along its boundaries.
Kieran and Laura - who bought their home 14 years ago - say the problem is leaving them “traumatised” and keeping them awake at night.
The biggest fear for the couple is that they will have to leave their home for up to six weeks while the problem is cleared, due to the smell becoming “unbearable” once poison is laid down for the animals, and they gradually die as they consume more of the toxin.
Kieran admits he is also worried that the rats may have got to his car which has been out of use for three months.
“We know people who have had rats in their car before and their car has had to be written off,” he said.
Laura added: “They get in under the car and do damage to the engine. They'd go for the wires.”
It was earlier in summer when the family first realised rats could be present in their home.
Laura said: “One of our girls was saying she heard taps on the walls of her bedroom. We thought it was the birds jumping around at the top as trees are overhanging. So we thought it was branches hitting off the window.”
However the noise continued. Kieran believes he has spent almost €1,500 on professional fees with Rentokil, rat flaps and the installation of cameras.
Fianna Fail general election candidate for Limerick Dee Ryan has engaged with the family. She said: “My heart goes out to this family.
When I met them and heard their story and what they are going through, you couldn’t but try to help them and find a resolution as quickly as possible.”
Social Democrats councillor Elisa O’Donovan had a motion passed at this month’s metropolitan meeting, and the local authority will now lobby Irish Rail for compensation.
There was also support for the motion from Cllrs Fergus Kilcoyne, Fianna Fail and Sarah Kiely, Fine Gael.
An Irish Rail spokesperson said: “We are continuing to engage with the residents concerned, including an on-site meeting this week, to advise and assure them regarding our ongoing rodent control measures.”