MORE residents have complained after spotting rats across Conwy county.

Following the Pioneer’s previous story (September 5), readers from across the region have come forward with reports of rats at their property.

Penmaenmawr resident Colin Jones said his cats have caught rats as large as 40cm long and brought them into his house.

Mr Jones said: “There were two of them and they are obviously getting plenty of food because they were massive.

“We have already gone to the four-weekly bin collections and it is a major issue because before this there weren’t this many rats.”

Llandudno resident Dave Jewell said he spotted one at the rear of his house.

He captured the rat, taking a photo and a video of it to post on social media before releasing it again.

A four-weekly bin collection is soon due to come into force.

Mr Jewell said rats are already being attracted by scattered waste from overflowing bins and the problem would only get worse.

He said: “It’s Christmas all-year round for the rats and seagulls, and things will only get worse when the effects of the four-week bin collection are felt.”

A Ffordd Las resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said her rat issue had become so bad she had to move out of her home temporarily.

She said: “It was horrible.

“They are in the attic so you can hear them running around at night, so I can’t sleep.

“There was a smell under the sink, it was so bad I couldn’t go under there for days. I would have to open up all the windows to try and let the smell out.”

She said the rats would eat her dog’s food and appear in the day as well as at night.

Conwy County Borough Council (CCBC) officers visited the lady’s Llandudno home to lay down some poison and clean the areas the cats had left a mess.

CCBC has an officer who deals with pest control in the county.

The council’s website said Conwy provides a free service for the treatment of rats along with mice, cockroaches and bed bugs.

But residents were forced to go to private companies in recent weeks when the CCBC pest control officer was on holiday.