A COMMUNITY is “up in arms”about the condition of a house in Rankinston which is said to be littered with tens of bin bags, infested with rats and posing a safety risk to children playing at a swing park nearby.

A close relative of residents who live in Ravenscroft Place in the village is increasingly concerned about the state of the property, namely the rats and other vermin the place is beginning to attract after rubbish which has been left to fester to the front of the property since December 2020 has not been attended to.

With the house having been in this state since Christmas time, the individual fears the rats and other dangers posed by the unkempt property will soon affect neighbours and the many children who play at the swing park right next door.

As the hot weather moves in, the individual also worries the “squalor” will encourage nests and continue to affect the health and wellbeing of people nearby. They now want to see Shire Housing Associated Limited, who are the landlords responsible for the property, take action.

The individual told the Chronicle: “It’s right next to the swing park and there must be 30 binbags sitting outside. It’s complete squalor. The community is up in arms about the bags outside not getting lifted. Kids are playing at the park and there are some amount of rats running about.

“All the rubbish that’s lying about, it’s bad for children’s safety. It’s been like that since before December so they’ve had plenty of time to come and move the rubbish. At one point there were double beds and duvets in the garden.

“I think someone needs to look into it now as we’re coming into the warm weather because it will encourage nests.”

A spokesperson for Shire Housing commented: “We are aware of the very poor garden condition at this address and have been in frequent contact with the tenant to improve this unacceptable situation.

“We are sorry for the distress this issue has caused and share residents frustrations at the length of time this has taken to be resolved. Our approach has been aimed at supporting the tenant whilst also enforcing the tenancy agreement.

“Specialist support has finally been agreed and clearance of the garden will commence later this week. Our staff will continue to monitor the condition of the property and are happy to speak to residents about any ongoing concerns.

“Shire H.A. take pride in the support services we provide to our tenants, working in partnership with specialist agencies to help tenants sustain their tenancies, whilst ensuring our properties are well maintained.

“We are glad to see this situation is now being resolved in partnership with East Ayrshire Council.”