MY RATS NIGHTMARE

IT ONLY takes a few steps into Tracy Baker's garden to spot two dead rats.

- PAIGE OLDFIELD

A quick glance to the right reveals three more "It's disgusting," the 46-year-old told the M.E.N. "Sometimes you're scared to open your wheelie bin in case they jump out at you." It's a nightmare the mum has endured on New Bury estate in Farnworth for some time. She says the infestation has seen her sentimental belongings destroyed and a washing machine damaged.

Despite owning five cats, Tracy and her children have even been forced to sleep downstairs in fear of the rodents scurrying in walls around them, she says. Those living in the Bolton town say the issue became more noticeable in the summer of 2023.

"It does affect me mentally," Tracy said. "It's every day. I've lived here for 10 years and it's the only place I've ever lived somewhere for this long and felt all right. Then, all of a sudden, you start hearing this scuffling in the walls.