Woman narrowly escapes crash after rats gnaw car brakes
- Published
Janet Reid was driving with her 14-year-old grandson when her brakes failed as she entered Loanhead roundabout
A woman had a lucky escape after rats gnawed through the brake hoses of her car, almost leading to a crash in Edinburgh.
Janet Reid, 65, was driving with her 14-year-old grandson when her brakes failed as she entered Loanhead roundabout.
It was only because her father had taught her how to slow down using the car's gears that she avoided a crash.
She said mechanics later found rat hairs stuck to the damaged hoses.
Ms Reid, who lives in Russell Gardens in Roseburn told the BBC Scotland news website: "This is the third time rats have chewed under my car bonnet, I'm at the end of my tether.
"I'm frantic and don't want to park outside my house now and I'm so worried to drive it now in case it happens again that I'm constantly checking under the bonnet before I get into the car.
"I'm mega upset about this as I could have been killed when the brakes failed.
"Nobody is taking responsibility for the rat problem here and its making me very angry."
One of the rat holes on the Russell Gardens estate
Of the 150 properties in the Russell Gardens estate, 24 are occupied by Dunedin Canmore tenants, including Ms Reid.
Dunedin Canmore housing director Alan Glasgow said: "We're really sorry to hear of our tenant's problem with her car and will continue supporting her in any way we can.
"We are doing everything possible to play our part in tackling the issue of rats in the area. That includes contacting the council's pest control department immediately anyone reports an issue to us.
"We've also recently been calling in a private pest control firm to deal with the problem and we've introduced extra cleaning patrols. We have written to residents reminding them to dispose of their rubbish responsibly and will do so again.
"If there are any other measures which would alleviate the problem, including removing vegetation, we would be happy to look at that."