Patients at a care home for mentally-ill pensioners could be forced out by rats.

Kitchens at Ireland Lodge, Brighton, have been closed and meals are being brought in from Brighton General Hospital.

Vermin have also been spotted in the gardens, drains and foundations of the home in Lockwood Crescent, Woodingdean.

Brighton and Hove City Council and South Downs NHS Trust have called in pest experts but they are drawing up contingency plans to move residents and staff.

The home was built about 25 years ago and was completely refurbished in 1994.

Staff refused to talk about the infestation but neighbours said they were concerned.

One said: "I had heard that there were rats in the foundations over there.

"I saw a cat with a rat in its mouth a few weeks ago. As a father with young children, it does worry me."

Another said: "They have had problems with the drains over there since Christmas. They have called in Dynorod several times and they were there two days in a row at one point."

A third neighbour said: "It does not surprise me there is a rat infestation.

"There was always rubbish stacked up outside the kitchens waiting to be collected. I noticed it had suddenly been moved a few days ago.

"They have also had workmen in digging up the drains and doing building work."

Woodingdean councillor Geoff Wells said he had made a number of complaints to the city council about uncollected rubbish.

He said: "One of the problems is that people come from all over the place to dump things in the rubbish pens at the flats behind Ireland Lodge.

"I have asked the council to secure them so that only residents can use them.

"However, it appears that having discovered there is a problem with rats, the council has acted quickly to deal with the problem."

A council spokesman said both the council and the NHS Trust considered the health and safety of residents and staff at the home as their top priority.

He said: "In the past there had been isolated instances where rodents were seen in the area around Ireland Lodge.

"Investigative work is under way to gauge the extent of the problem.

"The position at the home is being monitored on a daily basis and contingency plans have been drawn up to ensure the safety of all concerned."