Coventry students forced out of accommodation due to rats

Pest control teams have been dealing with the problem at Callice Court

Coventry University students are to be moved into temporary accommodation due to a rat problem at a halls of residence.

Rodents have been filmed running around Callice Court block, where prices start at £6,600 a year for an en suite room

Coventry City Council said pest control teams had visited the site and taken evidence.

Private company Homes for Students, which runs the accommodation, has been contacted for comment.

A video on The Tab website appears to show a rat scurrying down a staircase at the block

The BBC has seen a letter to the students from the landlord saying they have had pest controllers trying to eradicate the problem but they will be asking some of the students to move to alternative accommodation while they tackle the infestation.

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One resident, Holly Saunders, said the problem appeared to be affecting those living on the ground floor.

"We've been told to move out for a couple of weeks, we haven't been told a date yet so we are just waiting," she said.

"It's not nice to come all the way from home and have rats, it's not a nice way to settle in."

The story was first reported in student newspaper The Tab.

Joe Scotting, editor of The Tab Coventry, said: "Within the video we see rats going down stairs in Block A - one of the more popular blocks - we hear rats scurrying about inside of bathroom walls, one student even claimed - and sent us in a picture of - a chocolate bar completely ravaged by a rat apparently."