AN IPSWICH man who discovered a rat's nest in his kitchen has today spoken of his anger after being told to wait more than a week for pest control staff to visit his house.

AN IPSWICH man who discovered a rat's nest in his kitchen has today spoken of his anger after being told to wait more than a week for pest control staff to visit his house.

Richard Ward, of Sandy Hill Lane, said he has known there were rodents in the house for several weeks but things came to a head last weekend.

When he was told a date for one appointment for pest control to come round he said he refused because it was too long to wait - but the next appointment he was offered was later still.

Ipswich Borough Council's pest control team have been out on several occasions to lay poison but says this has made no difference.

He said: “Nothing seems to be working.

“On Saturday one of them had chewed through the wire of the freezer.

“It's so dangerous. I'm trying to bring up three children in this house and I don't even feel like I can cook in my kitchen.

“If they are chewing through electric wires who knows what could happen.”

Mr Ward said he called Ipswich Borough Council on Saturday and an emergency officer came out to have a look at the kitchen.

While he was there they discovered a nest.

Mr Ward said: “This man told me that the whole kitchen would have to be pulled apart to make sure that they got to the root of the problem, but when I spoke to our estate officer on Monday they told me they wanted pest control people to come and have another look.

“They told me they couldn't come out until next Monday.

“I can't wait that long.”

Mr Ward who lives with his three children, aged 12 to 16, says the final straw was seeing a rat run out from behind his freezer on Monday.

He said: “After our estates officer had been round I went to move the freezer and this great big rat ran out from behind it.

“I've got a spade in my kitchen and managed to bash it over the head.

“It's ridiculous. How am I supposed to live like this?”

A spokesman for Ipswich Borough Council said Mr Ward was originally offered an appointment for this Friday but had turned it down.

He said: “We are sorry Mr Ward is upset but we did offer him an appointment for this week but he decided not to accept it.

“He then came to the area housing office and, as we had filled the original appointment, we offered him the next available one.”

Have you had problems with rodents in your house? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or send us an e-mail to eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk