RESIDENTS at the Smallwood Almhouses in Redditch are at the end of their tether after suffering with a mouse infestation for several months.

Tenants are concerned that Bromford Housing, which manages the building, isn’t taking the problem seriously enough, especially since the residents all have small children.

One resident, Lauren King said: “You start to think you see them out of the corner of your eye. I can’t sleep. I’m awake until four in the morning. You can hear them in the walls, even in the flats where you can’t see the mice you can hear them.

“I don’t know if they bite, they’ve chewed the carpet in my living room, and there are droppings all underneath the fridge, underneath the cooker. I’ve pulled my fridge out and I’m constantly washing underneath there. I’ve found literally about 200 mouse droppings.”

Bromford Housing acknowledges that it has had calls about the mouse problem dating back to September 2012.

Emma Bannister, service manager at Bromford Support, said: “We received a number of reports of mice at our Smallwood Almhouses scheme, which provides support to young families looking to start their first tenancies.

"Bromford contractors have been out to visit the site and installed bait boxes, and believe the site will be clear of mice within a few weeks. We are also working with customers as part of their support to ensure they understand what attracts mice, and what can be done to stop them entering their homes."

Another resident Steph Meredith doesn’t believe the problem will be solved that quickly. She said: “I saw one last October and I kept reporting it and nothing was getting done about it. I went back in to the office in December and told them I’d caught five mice myself and they just laughed. I don’t think it’s funny.

“They put a bait box down about two months ago, but they’re not catching anything, and I’m still seeing them in my flat. My son’s crawling and I feel disgusting putting him on the floor. You don’t know if they’ve run across his toys, and he could put those in his mouth.

“They should either move us all out and clean the place from top to bottom, or they should have people there to deal with the situation.”

Resident Hollie Dance added: “I’ve seen them climbing down the curtains. I’ve sat and watched TV and I’ve seen them running along the skirting board. I just want them all gone.”