A mum was left heartbroken after £3,500 worth of damage was caused to her car – by a suspected rat infestation.
Deborah Barrett was left baffled when her Nissan Note stopped working and worried about what it may mean for her to get to work and pick up her grandson. But after speaking to her neighbour, the grandmother from Stockbridge, Merseyside, soon realised she was not the only one with car troubles.
"The girl next door a few months earlier, said she'd had trouble with rats. They got into her car and chewed all her seatbelts," Deborah said.
"When she opened the boot they'd eaten all the chocolate out of the selection boxes in her boot. I said to her about my car breaking down. She said it's not rats is it Deb? I said I don't think so."
It was only when she took her car to the local Nissan dealership that she found out rats had caused the damage. "When they looked into the engine they saw it had been chewed by the sensor wires.
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"I was devastated. I bought that car not long before we lost my dad to Covid. It's a lovely car, it's only got 41,000 miles on the clock. I need that car to get to work." Thankfully, Deborah's insurance said it would cover the costs of the damage.
The dead rat Stephen found in his car (Stephen Donoghue)But seven months on, she still doesn't have her car back because the dealership can't get the right part – a loom. The 59-year-old explained that Nissan gave her a courtesy car in July, but the dealership has now asked her to return the car as it's "not covered under their mobility promise when there is accidental damage."
Stephen Donoghue, a neighbour of Deborah's, says he also found a dead rat inside his Volkswagen Touareg on Boxing Day. An auto mechanic assessed the issue, but Stephen said they couldn't complete a diagnostic on the car which was "flashing like Blackpool Illuminations."
Stephen, 49, told the Liverpool ECHO: "It happened on Christmas Day but I didn't realise until Boxing Day when I was going shopping and my car wouldn't start. It's chewed through the main loom cable. I was devastated. I've only had the car three months - I saved up hard to get that."
Stephen warned others about the issue on Facebook, with many people responding that they'd had similar experiences. Knowsley Council stated it works with residents, landlords, businesses and partners to tackle rat infestations, including sewer baiting, pest control and holding action days.
Cllr Shelley Powell, Knowsley Council's Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods previously said: "As a council, we are working on a daily basis to tackle this issue, but we simply can't do it alone. In Knowsley, we understand that we are 'Better Together'.
"When it comes to preventing rats and other pests, that is certainly true we all have an important part to play. The council has already and will continue to invest in actions which help reduce rodent populations, and we're also supporting and encouraging others to do the same.
"There are some simple steps that local businesses, residents and landowners can take which, combined with the ongoing efforts of Knowsley Council, will help to tackle this issue. We'll also take action against those whose behaviours are exacerbating the problems for the rest of the community."
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