A COUPLE, soon to be a family of three, are currently squeezed into a tiny one-bedroom flat with several issues in Bridgwater.

The family resides at Sanctuary Housing's building on Cannon Close, which made headlines earlier this year after the provider said it was 'sorry' for leaving the building without windows.

As well as the building reportedly being filled with litter, mould, and antisocial behaviour, one flat in particular has been subjected to particular problems.

The expectant mother, who wishes to remain anonymous, told the Mercury that herself and her husband had to go as far as paying for their own pest control after the developer failed to resolve an ongoing rat issue.

Read more: Bridgwater block of flats left without windows by provider

A rat chewed through the family's toilet pipe, which was sealed by Sanctuary Housing after being reported, but no steps were taken to remove the rat from the property.

The same issue happened again just weeks later, and the pipe was replaced, but the rat still remained inside.

The mother-to-be said she heard the rat in the walls of her home several times, so again reported the rat infestation to the housing developer to be resolved as a matter of urgency.

However, the pest control company called by Sanctuary Housing left a 'snap trap' in the bathroom, which did not catch the rat, and it soon chewed through the toilet pipe for a third time.

The pipe was then replaced again, and the rat continued to cause destruction, chewing through walls, and the pipe for the fourth time.

This resulted in the tenants paying for another pest control company out of their own money, of which an inspection also uncovered a cockroach infestation in their home.

Sanctuary Housing reportedly refused to reimburse the couple for this, and affirmed that the one-bedroom flat is suitable for a soon-to-be family of three.

The flat is also overcome with damp and mould, although Sanctuary Housing state they were not made aware of this issue.

A spokesperson for Sanctuary said: “Work is ongoing in this property and while a temporary repair was completed last month, we are committed to resolving the issues reported and replacing the toilet pipework as soon as possible.

"Having now been made aware of concerns about mould and damp, we will also look into these reports and carry out any work required.

“In addition, we have been offering the family advice on how to apply for a new home through Homefinder, the housing waiting list system in the region that is managed by the local authority.”