A couple were forced to flee their council home a week after moving in after it became overrun by giant rats - some of which were 12 inches long. Jade Newborn and Chris Walley moved into the house in Stoke-on-Trent on August 12 after waiting months for a home. But within a week, the couple had found 11 vermin at the house, some of which were 12 inches long. Chris Walley and his partner have left the home after finding 11 rats in the council house in just one week . The couple say the move has been an 'absolute nightmare' and that they have been forced to flee . 'It's been an absolute nightmare,' said Mr Walley, 21. The self-employed builder caught 11 of the animals on his own after his partner moved out. 'My girlfriend’s moved out because she’s so scared of them. 'I’m worried they could kill my puppy, and I’ve lost hundreds of pounds in wages while I’ve tried to sort this out. 'I’ve had to completely strip the kitchen to try and find them, and when I did I found so many rat droppings and loads of holes where they’ve been getting around the house.' 'I’ve caught a lot of them, but most have only been babies.' 'It took a month for pest control to come out, and all they did was put two pots of poison down. 'Half of one of them went in one night, which shows how bad it is. Mr Walley, a self employed builder, has ripped apart the kitchen to find where the vermin are coming from . The 21-year-old claimed droppings and tiny holes in the walls made him think there were more than 11 . Miss Newborn said she has gone to stay with her mother as she is petrified of the creatures . Pest control visited the property when the couple complained but, they say, only left two pots of rat poison . 'At first we didn’t know what was going on around the house - we had some strange marks and thought it might have been a ghost. 'It’s just got worse since then, and I want it to stop.' Mr Waller has been returning to the house to try and solve the problem as his 'petrified' girlfriend stays at her mother's house. 'It's just horrific in there, I can't stand it,' said Miss Newborn, also 21. 'I’m absolutely petrified of rats, so I’ll stay with my mum until they’re gone. 'We’ve had all sorts of problems - we can’t use the cooker as rats were running all around it, so we’ve had to live off takeaways and use money we don’t have. 'I’m so scared of what could happen to Rex - rats are so dirty, one bite might kill him.' 'Petrified': The couple said they feared for their dog as rats are known to carry many diseases and could bite . The 21-year-olds say they waited months before being moved into the semi-detached house in Stoke-on-Trent . Councillor Joy Garner, the city council’s cabinet member for housing, neighbourhoods and community safety, said: 'Our environmental health team was alerted to the rat problem by Mr Walley on July 18, and a pest control officer went out on August 4 to investigate and deal with the problem. 'We contacted Mr Walley afterwards and he told us he was satisfied with the action we’d taken, but we’re going back next week for a routine follow-up check to make sure the problem has definitely been resolved. 'We take the welfare of all of our council tenants very seriously and we understand that discovering vermin in your home can be very upsetting. 'We’re looking into what caused this particular problem, as well as the reports of damage to Mr Walley’s property.'
Jade Newborn and Chris Walley moved into house in Stoke-on-Trent .
After a week couple found 11 rats and droppings all over property .
Mr Walley, 21, has spent days trying to find the vermin beneath floorboards .
A couple were forced to flee their council home a week after moving in after it became overrun by giant rats - some of which were 12 inches long. Jade Newborn and Chris Walley moved into the house in Stoke-on-Trent on August 12 after waiting months for a home. But within a week, the couple had found 11 vermin at the house, some of which were 12 inches long. Chris Walley and his partner have left the home after finding 11 rats in the council house in just one week . The couple say the move has been an 'absolute nightmare' and that they have been forced to flee . 'It's been an absolute nightmare,' said Mr Walley, 21. The self-employed builder caught 11 of the animals on his own after his partner moved out. 'My girlfriend’s moved out because she’s so scared of them. 'I’m worried they could kill my puppy, and I’ve lost hundreds of pounds in wages while I’ve tried to sort this out. 'I’ve had to completely strip the kitchen to try and find them, and when I did I found so many rat droppings and loads of holes where they’ve been getting around the house.' 'I’ve caught a lot of them, but most have only been babies.' 'It took a month for pest control to come out, and all they did was put two pots of poison down. 'Half of one of them went in one night, which shows how bad it is. Mr Walley, a self employed builder, has ripped apart the kitchen to find where the vermin are coming from . The 21-year-old claimed droppings and tiny holes in the walls made him think there were more than 11 . Miss Newborn said she has gone to stay with her mother as she is petrified of the creatures . Pest control visited the property when the couple complained but, they say, only left two pots of rat poison . 'At first we didn’t know what was going on around the house - we had some strange marks and thought it might have been a ghost. 'It’s just got worse since then, and I want it to stop.' Mr Waller has been returning to the house to try and solve the problem as his 'petrified' girlfriend stays at her mother's house. 'It's just horrific in there, I can't stand it,' said Miss Newborn, also 21. 'I’m absolutely petrified of rats, so I’ll stay with my mum until they’re gone. 'We’ve had all sorts of problems - we can’t use the cooker as rats were running all around it, so we’ve had to live off takeaways and use money we don’t have. 'I’m so scared of what could happen to Rex - rats are so dirty, one bite might kill him.' 'Petrified': The couple said they feared for their dog as rats are known to carry many diseases and could bite . The 21-year-olds say they waited months before being moved into the semi-detached house in Stoke-on-Trent . Councillor Joy Garner, the city council’s cabinet member for housing, neighbourhoods and community safety, said: 'Our environmental health team was alerted to the rat problem by Mr Walley on July 18, and a pest control officer went out on August 4 to investigate and deal with the problem. 'We contacted Mr Walley afterwards and he told us he was satisfied with the action we’d taken, but we’re going back next week for a routine follow-up check to make sure the problem has definitely been resolved. 'We take the welfare of all of our council tenants very seriously and we understand that discovering vermin in your home can be very upsetting. 'We’re looking into what caused this particular problem, as well as the reports of damage to Mr Walley’s property.'
Jade Newborn and Chris Walley moved into the Walley, 21. The self-employed builder caught 11 is. Mr Walley, a self employed builder, has ripped apart the kitchen to find where the vermin semi-detached house in Stoke-on-Trent .