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MOUSE TRAP
I want social services to look after my kids as our house is infested with mice and my daughter asks me if we’re poor
A MUM asked social services to house her kids somewhere safe - as she is terrified for their health in her mouse poo infested flat.
Tamekia Thompson is at her whit's end after two-years spent living in a South London flat, that she says is overwhelmed with rodents.
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The 37-year-old former care worker, who quit her job to look after her autistic son full-time, claims she has repeatedly pleaded with her landlord to help - but to no avail.
It means she and her son, four, and daughter, seven, are apparently forced to live in the flat where Tamekia said mice poo everywhere, chew through wires and their clothes and gobble their food.
Her poor daughter is so terrified of the creatures she refuses to use the toilet and instead has to go in a bed pan.
And the mum, from Croydon, is terrified her four-year-old son will ingest mouse droppings as he "puts everything in his mouth".
Tamekia, a private tenant, told The Sun: "I even asked the social worker to take the children to a safe place, I will stay here, I’m a mum and I will do anything to protect my kids.
“If anything happens to them here then I know social services will be the first to put the blame on me.
“I said I would sign any paperwork, just take them away temporarily so they can live somewhere safe.
“I was told I had to wait for the bailiffs to come, which is fine, but my kids - they can’t wait that long.
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“My children are in danger and I’m scared."
She added: “My daughter asks me ‘Mummy, does this happen to us because we’re poor?’ I just keep telling her not to worry and that mummy will make it all okay.
“I feel like every time I ask for help they ignore me."
Tamekia claims she was offered to move to YORKSHIRE - 240 miles away from her support system and family.
The despairing mum said the flat also has a damp problem.
She said: "The first time we entered the place, these back walls were damp. I said to the landlord to come and sort it out.
“They painted over it, but about six months later, it reappeared.
“My cousin is a handyman and told me how expensive it would be to fix the wall myself. It still hasn’t been sorted and the damp keeps coming back. They really fobbed me off."
My kids are in danger and I'm scared
Tamekia
Tamekia, who moved into the flat in 2016, added: "About two years ago the place started to get infested with mice. I told the landlord ‘I can’t deal with this’.
“I had to start setting rat traps, I spent hours wiping up droppings - I’m terrified because my son puts everything in his mouth.
“I complained and complained, but I was just ignored.
“Just under a month ago I had enough, I’ve spoken to the council, I’ve spoken to my MP, to the landlord - I’m scared for my kids, for their safety."
She has revealed she has been withholding her rent for the past seven months due to the state of the home.
She said: "I am not paying my rent because of this situation, I told my landlord I would go in front of a judge, in front of Downing Street and say the same. I’m not paying until it is sorted out.
“They chew through all our wires, through all of our chargers - I touched the wall once and got a shock. I’m terrified for my kids.”
Tamekia said she is on the list for a council property and has exhausted all her options, but feels like she is just being ignored.
She said: "I feel like every time I ask for help they ignore me
Tamekia
She said: "I feel like every time I ask for help they ignore me.
“My MP has even reached out on my behalf and has received no reply, if they are ignoring an MP - then what chance do I have?"
Tamekia's landlord told The Sun: "The tenant has been withholding rent because she mismanages her money and does not use her money that she is getting paid from universal credit to pay for rent even though she works as well.
“She has recently started to claim she will not pay rent because she has seen mice in the property.
“The tenant finds any excuse not to pay her rent of £500 a month and is in rent arrears of close to £4000.
“In regards to the pest issue in the property, pest control have attended the property twice this month and have set up traps and devices to control the issue and the tenant is fully aware of this as she lets the pest control into the property to carry out the work.
“Pest control will continue coming to the property to eradicate the past issue and all other building issues will be seen to by builders that are due to carry out work on the property.”
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A spokesperson for Croydon Council said: "Although this is not a council property, we have provided Ms Thompson with advice and support around her housing options in both the private rented sector and social housing.
"We have also been in contact with her landlord about repairs to his property.”
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