A COUPLE told how an abandoned house which has become infested with rats is making their lives a misery.

Janet and John Dakin, of Eastwood Road North, even fear the empty property next door could attract squatters.

They have been fighting to get it cleaned up ever since they moved in two-and-a-half years ago.

The former owner is understood to have died eight years ago. A family dispute over the will has halted progress selling or redeveloping the property.

Mrs Dakin, 65, said: “When we were buying our house the estate agent told us next door was going up for auction as the owner had died a few years previously, but that never happened.

“After we moved in, we learned very quickly that the house had been empty for about five or six years.

“We have done an awful lot of work on our own property because it was in a bit of a mess.

“Recently, our daughter heard a scraping noise in the walls so we got pest control in and they told us that rats had got in from next door and made their way into our loft.We were disgusted. It cost us a lot of money to have them removed, with no guarantee they won’t come back.”

Mr and Mrs Dakin managed to track down the daughter of the former owner last summer – who told her there was a problem with the will.

Mrs Dakin added: “This prompted temporary progress as the back garden was cleared but they moved the rubbish to the front yard, where it has remained ever since.

“We are very concerned that the rats will come back or it will start attracting squatters. We even had to secure the front door ourselves to try and make sure this didn’t happen.”

Southend Council is aiming to reduce the number of empty homes in the borough by 10 per cent by 2020.

A council spokesman said: “We expect to start recruitment for an Empty Homes Officer shortly, following the previous postholder moving on. This property, which is well known to us, will be picked up again and be a priority case for them when they start.

“We understand that empty homes are frustrating for the local community, but dealing with empty property can be complex, time consuming and involve a number of different parties.”