'Scunnering': Barrhead man's terror as rats kill pigeons and rabbit

Allan McWilliams, who has caught “easily over 100 rats” in the last year, feels East Renfrewshire Council is using a “bullying” tactic after he requested the rodent problem to be dealt with.

Last month, a housing officer sent a letter to Allan stating rat treatment won’t be carried out in and around his garden unless he “disposes” of his birds.

However, Allan claims the rats – that live and breed in an area directly behind his back garden that’s plagued by fliytipping - were there long before his pigeons.

(Image: Colin Mearns) Allan's friend Stuart who has been trying to help him with the issue (Image: Colin Mearns)The 60-year-old moved into a council home at Dovecothall Street around two years ago. And before moving his pigeon hut into his garden, Allan says poison had been put down twice by council workers to try to solve the rat issue.

He said: “The council has now told me if I get rid of the pigeons, they’ll try to get rid of the rats – that's bullying in my eyes. Who do they think they are?

“My pigeon hut was in storage and before I could bring it anywhere near this garden, I had the council out twice to put poison down.

“They also took my neighbour’s hut away because that became infested.

"The rats are there constantly. You don’t usually see them during the day but come nighttime, it’s constant. You can hear them squeaking and fighting with each other.

“Every address I've stayed at I've had a pigeon hut and there’s never been a problem, ever. I told [the council] ‘Don’t go there with my pigeons, it’s a waste of time’.”

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After eventually moving his pigeon hut into his garden around a year after moving in, the rodents got inside and sadly killed several birds.

Allan has since spent £1000 “rat-proofing” it.

He said: “They killed the babies, and they stole all my pigeons’ eggs. Then they started on the parents.

“My pigeons to me are my life, all I've got is my family and my pigeons so it’s not very nice. I was breaking my heart at the carnage.

“Every time I go to the hut, I get a cold feeling expecting more pigeons to be dead. It’s not the case anymore, but the feeling doesn't go away.”

(Image: Colin Mearns)

However, the rodents then targeted and killed his granddaughter’s rabbit after making a hole in its hutch.

“The wean went out to get her rabbit, breaking her heart, and from that day I've been fighting the council,” Allan says.

“She was screaming so from that day, that’s how I've not let up. I had to fling all her toys out too because they were stinking of rat pee.”

Allan’s friend Stuart Henry, 55, has been assisting him with contacting the council to get the flytipping cleared and the rat infestation dealt with.

(Image: Colin Mearns) Stuart, also from Barrhead, said: “The situation really affects Allan badly. Two people from the council came out and are blaming the pigeon hut.

“It’s this area out the back that’s causing problems. One of Allan’s pals does pest control and he told us there’s a harbourage of rats. They have deep nests. It’s not going to improve. The only way to get rid of the rats is to take it all away. When you break the ground, the rats leave.”

(Image: Colin Mearns) Allan added: “I’m going through a bad time at the moment. It’s scunnering. If it wasn’t for Stuart, I wouldn’t be able to do a lot of things, I don’t get out much because I'm not well just now.

“When I got the house there was no fence or nothing. I put the fence up so the flytipping is behind it. All the rubbish has been there for years.

“And since I’ve been in the house, there’s no other rubbish been added – the council keep taking pictures and I think maybe what they’re trying to do is get a picture with something new in it so they can blame somebody.”

In the letter sent to Allan, seen by us, the council also stated it's not in a position to dispose of the rubbish because the cost would be excessive and it does not consider that it "constitutes a major problem".

A council spokesperson said: "We're aware of the issues Mr McWilliams is experiencing at his property and are working with him to find an amicable solution."