Man says rats tried to eat through parents' door

A couple are struggling with a rat infestation because of a waste disposal site next door, their son has said

A man has said rats tried to eat through his parents' front door because of an infestation caused by waste dumped in a neighbouring yard.

Al Hemsley said Lulworth Estate - which owns Durdle Door - has been leaving food waste in an old farmyard next to his parents' house in East Lulworth, Dorset.

Mr Hemsley said he was told only mixed recycling should be stored there, but a large amount of food waste was attracting rats, which then spread to his parents' property.

Lulworth Estate said the site, which it owns, was legally operated and had pest control measures in place. The Environment Agency said it was investigating.

Mr Hemsley said his father was 77, had Parkinson's disease, and his mum was his full-time carer.

They had lived in the property since 1978, when the site "was a working farm", but the current rat problem only started in 2019, Mr Hemsley said.

Mr Hemsley said the rubbish included food waste

Lulworth Estate said it used the yard to store waste from its visitor sites, which is collected regularly.

"Obviously, there’s a fair bit of traffic here, there’s bin lorries in and out all the time," said Mr Hemsley.

"The traffic side isn't too much of a worry, we are reasonable.

"But it's the rodents, the smell, the run-off, that's causing the problems."

He said this winter, the rats "tried to eat through the front door of the house" overnight.

"They couldn't quite get through so they ate up through the roof of an outhouse, across the ceilings, ate in through a ceiling, and then completely destroyed my parents’ outhouse," he said.

The yard is the property of Lulworth Estate, which also owns Durdle Door

The Environment Agency confirmed the site had an exemption allowing waste to be stored there temporarily - including food packaging.

But it said an investigation had been launched after Mr Hemsley posted a video about the problem on YouTube.

He said he just wanted the waste "cleared and gone".

"You're a business - I manage my bins, my waste, properly," he said.

"I want it put somewhere proper."

Lulworth Estate said it was "committed" to responsible waste management.

"Prior to the video being released, the Estate had suggested a meeting with our neighbour and our pest control contractor and we hope this will take place shortly," the spokesperson added.