WATCH: My two year old daughter was hospitalised after my home in Peterborough became infested with rats

A Peterborough mother has spoken of her horror after he two-year-old daughter was hospitalised due to germs from a rat infestation which has been making their lives a nightmare for almost a year.

Kayleigh Kingston, who lives with her daughter Tiyana in Russell Street has said that she has been forced to rip up her flooring and close off her daughter’s access to her own bedroom over fears for her safety given where the rats are getting into her second floor apartment.

Such were the problems with the germs, Tiyana was hospitalised and although she has on the road to recovery, Kayleigh has said she lives in fear or her daughter picking up the same again or worse.

She said: “My daughter has just been in hospital because of the rats. She was being sick and got spots all around her mouth from picking the germs up.

"She’s at that age where she has started exploring and I’m worried about what she’s exploring. I can’t stop her from going where she wants in her own home but I have. It’s not her fault but I’m having to tell her she can’t touch so many things.

“She is better now but the pest control told us that next time it could be something she might not be able to fight of and she could be in hospital even longer. I’m cleaning constantly but you can’t see the rat wee either, which only adds to the problem.”

Kayleigh has said that the rats have been attracted by the bins that have been left out and overflowing with various items of rubbish such as takeaway. Such is the problem, even a human poo was left out there for months to attract further vermin.

Kayleigh has said that she feels like a prisoner in her own home and lives in fear of doing things as simple of opening her cupboards in case a rat was to jump out.

She added: “Every year, we also get a problem with flies as well around all of the windows. I have spoken with some of my neighbours and they have told me they get it too. One of my neighbours also had a rat jump onto his ankle when he was leaving the house.

“When the pest control came round, he had an ultraviolet light which showed where the rats had been and the was rat wee all over the sofa, all over the sofa, rat poo all under it. It was just horrible.

“I’m scared to be here in my own home. I’m living like a prisoner in my own home. My daughter hasn’t got a bedroom because I’m scared of her being in the room with a cupboard where rats are coming through. She has to sleep in my bed now.

“Every time I look out the kitchen window, there is at least three rats around the bins. When I go in there, I can here them running behind the cupboards and rustling.

“I have been offered compensation but I have not been moved anywhere. I’m not asking for a hole new house, just somewhere that hasn’t get rats.

“It’s not fair, I have to follow my daughter around the house, she can’t go in the kitchen or in her bedroom because that’s where the rats come in.

“I’ve had to rip all of the flooring up because it was carpet and harder to clean. It’s like the whole place should just be lit on fire.

“They are chewing my kickboards in the kitchen, my skirting boards, they can get through anything. It’s scary.

“The pest control have told me to be careful when I open my cupboards when you open them as one might be lurking in there.”

After moths of effort, Kayleigh was able to call out pest control through the housing association Hyde Housing but now must wait another month before they can dispense their services again.

A spokesperson for Hyde said: “We know how upsetting pest problems can be, and we’d like to apologise to Ms Kingston for the upset that this has caused.

“We’ve been working to resolve these issues and visited again today. A baiting programme has been in place, but, unfortunately, we haven’t been able to gain access to her home on some of our visits.

“We’ll be bringing forward planned proofing works to prevent pests getting in, and have scheduled this work for tomorrow. Communal areas are being cleared of any rubbish today, and the bait boxes within communal areas are being rebaited to ensure they are working as effectively as possible.”