A YOUNG couple are begging for help, claiming a rat infestation left their home dripping with urine and smeared in spaghetti hoops.

Lewis Parchment and Amelia Jenner, from Ursa Court in Lewes Road, Brighton, fear for the health of their two-year-old daughter and say they are “livid” with their housing association for “neglecting them”.

Lewis described the family’s disgust after finding “rat wee dripping right outside our front door”.

He said on one occasion they found their bin leaking with tinned spaghetti.

He said: “A rat had obviously got in and smeared spaghetti hoops all over the back. This was in our actual kitchen. It was disgusting.”

Lewis said a pest controller called in to deal with the infestation was amazed by what he saw.

He said: “The pest force officer was shocked. He said we should sterilise everything and throw away our ingredients and cooking equipment.

“He set bait boxes. But it’s like the rats have evolved since then: they’re not taking the bait.

“They’ve been coming in through holes in the walls and they chew through the kitchen bin.

“Now they’re climbing in over the washing machine and roaming free. They’ve made a nest inside the house.

“The housing association won’t fill in the holes so rats are still getting in.”

Lewis and Amelia, both 21, are worried about their two-year-old daughter Delia Rose. They said she has been unwell for months “because of the rats”.

Lewis said: “It’s absolutely disgusting considering how we’ve got a two-year-old child. We are continually getting stressed and ill with this – we keep getting upset stomachs.

“This all started when the doors to the building broke, giving access to anyone and anything. We had foxes at first and then we saw rats coming up the stairs.

“Then we could hear them running around scratching the walls.

“Our upstairs neighbour had the same problem. She said she could hear them in her walls and see them in her kitchen.

“We have been asking our housing association, Southern Housing Group, to do something about this since beginning of summer. They don’t care. I asked them, have you got kids? Have you ever had a rat infestation? How would you feel?

“No one is taking responsibility.

“I reported the problem to Southern Housing months ago.

“I’m just livid. If I didn’t have a daughter I wouldn’t be as angry. But I’m upset too. A lot needs to be done.”

A spokeswoman for Southern Housing Group said: “The health and safety of our residents is our first priority.

“We can’t comment on individual circumstances, but can confirm we have been and will continue to work closely with our customer on this issue.

“We have clear protocols for dealing with reports of vermin in our homes.

“We do understand how concerning this sort of issue is for residents and we work with professional partners to take appropriate action.”