A family who found a rat on their doorstep have said they are too scared to leave their door open in case the vermin enter their home.
Andre Khachikian, of Roxeth Green Avenue, South Harrow, was shocked to open his front door and see a rat lying dead across the step on August 26.
He said: "I opened the door at 9am to see whether the bins had been collected and it was on the walkway and about eight inches long.
"It is a very unhappy situation, I sometimes open the kitchen door and go into the garden and I see rats running away."
For the past nine months Mr Khachikian and his family have been having issues wth rats, which they believe are being encouraged by rubbish dumped in an alleyway behind their house, as well as the rubbish behind shops in Shaftsbury Circle.
The 72 year old has killed three rats and has been laying traps and pellets in an attempt to stop the animals from running riot in his garden.
He said: "I have caught three of them and I have had to throw them away.
"The council says it can't do anything because it is a private road. They told me to talk to my neighbours, but I am not a policeman to tell people and shopkeepers what to do."
His wife Marina is at her wits end about the situation. She said: "Nobody is doing anything about it, we have done everything.
"The council is not interested and they say 'it is nothing to do with us'.
"We are so scared to leave the door open as they are just roaming around."
The family are also concerned about a dumped caravan in the alleyway.
At the time of going to press Harrow Council had not decided what course of action to take.
A spokeswoman said: "Council officers will be going out to inspect the site this week and until they go and take a look they do not know what action to take on this issue."
