Residents find 'huge' rats near to flats site

Residents in Blackpool, who live next to a huge former civil service office which is being transformed into flats, have said they are suffering from an outbreak of rats.

They fear the rodents are coming from Mexford House, on Mexford Avenue in North Shore, which was previously home to the Department for Work and Pensions until 2009 and is currently a building site.

In the past month, residents said they had been shocked by a large numbers of rats in their homes or under their floorboards, some of which had been killed by local cats.

Laura Smith said she had to buy rat traps after finding a "huge" rat in her kitchen. Owner of Mexford House, The Mexford Group, has been contacted for a response.

Blackpool Council said they had received a complaint from a resident near Mexford House and they were investigating.

Smith said the rat in her house was "right by the fridge and it was huge".

"It went into the back of the cupboard and up into my shelving and pooed on my shelving so I've had to move all my plates and cups," the 42-year-old added.

A couple living nearby on Mexford Avenue with their young children said they had rats running in the space above their bay window and had set up a trap in their kitchen.

In June 2024, a planning application for the "use of premises as 120 self contained flats with associated parking, access, bike store and bin store" was approved by planners at Blackpool Council.

That large-scale project is still continuing on behalf of the owners, the Manchester-based Mexford Group, and residents believe the most recent site clearance had disturbed the rats.

The Mexford Group was approached for a comment by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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