'I’ve caught at least 50': Peterborough man pressures landlord to move him as flat 'overrun by mice'

Mice have reportedly been found by Kai near his food and in his living space.

Another Peterborough resident is calling for his landlord to move him to a property where he can “feel safe”, after claiming his apartment has become “overrun by mice”.

Kai Patel, 24, from Herlington, Orton Malbourne, says he has caught “at least 50 mice” since moving into his apartment 18 months ago, which he rents from Cross Keys Homes.

It is the second time a Herlington resident has requested that Cross Keys Homes move them into new accommodation after finding mice in their properties.

Kai believes the mice are coming through the walls.

But the housing association has said they’ve employed a “specialist pest control contractor” to “eradicate the mice from the area.”

“I’ve caught at least 50 mice since I moved in,” Kai said.

“In recent weeks it’s gotten worse. Over the last three weeks I’ve been catching two or three a day.

"I don’t feel safe now in my accommodation. I’m scared to go home or eat at home.

"All I want is a space where I can feel safe. I want to be rehoused.”

Peterborough resident's plea to be moved after flat becomes 'infested by mice' -...

Kai has reportedly called pest control to his property around 40 times since moving into the apartment in March 2021.

“It started during my first week of living here,” he said. “I remember it because I was sitting eating breakfast in the morning and when I looked over at my bins I saw something grey.

“I looked away, but caught it again out of the corner of my eye and realised it was a mouse.

"The mice come through the walls and drop down into my kitchen.”

He said he walked through to the kitchen one night and there was one mouse sitting in a mug.

"Originally it was a case of ‘catch, dispose of, don’t think of’ – but I changed my bin one morning and there was one sitting in the bottom of it. I didn’t know what to do because I didn’t want to let it go for it to come back.

“Another time, I had caught a mouse while I was away for a week, but when I came back and checked the other mice had started eating it.

“All I want is a place I can live happily. I’ve lost so much sleep and it’s not just impacting my own life, it’s affecting my workspace.

“I just want it to be over.”

Cross Keys Homes say that since receiving reports of mice from tenants it has employed a “specialist pest control contractor” and has been “working with local businesses and residents to eradicate the mice from the area”.

‘Doing all we can’

A Cross Keys Homes spokesperson said: “As soon as we started to receive reports about the issue of mice in the area we employed a specialist pest control contractor to address the problem. Since then we have been working with local businesses and residents to eradicate the mice from the area. We do not charge residents for pest control services, nor do we add them to service charges.

“In addition to the pest control work we have also increased our visits to the area for cleaning and waste management, attending the area multiple times per week. Whenever we receive a report of mice from a resident we will visit the property to ascertain the extent of the issue and the actions needed to remedy it.

“Whilst we can fully understand the residents’ frustration, unfortunately mice can be a common problem, especially in places where there are many shops, pubs and takeaway venues. We are doing all we can to control the mice in the area, and we will continue to work together on preventative measures, including refuse and littering.”