COUNCIL bosses are being urged to rid Nelson’s streets of rats amid concerns the town is being plagued by the disease-carrying rodents.

Mahboob Ahmed said there was a ‘big problem’ with rats in the town, particularly in Every Street, Whitefield, where he lives with his wife and five children.

Less than two weeks ago he and his children saw two large rats outside their home, one of which scuttled into the terrace property.

He said Pendle Council had not kept the streets clean enough and urged chief executive Stephen Barnes to pour more resources into tackling the problem.

But town hall chiefs denied there was a problem with rats and that all reports of the rodents were responded to promptly.

According to Mr Ahmed it was like ‘hell fire’ when his children spotted the rats near their house.

He said: “They were screaming like hell and were so frightened that they went to stay with their grandfather in Cross Street for five days.

“Of course I reported it to the environmental health and they came out but didn’t find anything. I don’t know where the rats had gone.”

Mr Ahmed, whose children’s ages range from eight to 19, said he had seen rats in the streets near his home three or four times in the last year.

He believes a number of the rodents have moved into the streets after Pendle Council completed work to renovate properties in Stanley Street.

“These rats belong to Stephen Barnes,” said Mr Ahmed, who is a former councillor.

“The council has done the work and that’s fine, but what about the sewers underneath? They are 100 years old and that’s where the rats are coming from.

But Julie Whittaker, Pendle’s housing regeneration manager, said: “Whenever housing market renewal work is started in an area, we liaise with colleagues in environmental health. Among other things, we ensure that our building contractors take prompt action to secure the drains.

Pauline Foley, Pendle’s public health manager, said the council does not charge for rat treatments in domestic properties.