A disabled council flat tenant whose dog came within minutes of dying after eating four dead mice says her home is still infested by rodents a year later.
Tenant's ordeal
Sharon Pocock, 48, moved to the Lydstep flats near the centre of Cardiff with her son and four-year-old dachshund, George, in October 2024. But just weeks later disaster struck when the pet swallowed four dead mice which council workers had discovered a matter of days earlier while replacing Ms Pocock's kitchen doors.
'We moved in and I knew there was a lot of work that needed doing,' the mother, who suffers with respiratory problems, tells the Daily Mail. 'When the workers came and removed a unit in the kitchen, they found four dead mice, two inches of droppings and a heap of urine. There was the same problem in the bathroom.'
Images shared with the Mail show the dire state of the kitchen, with the deceased mice and piles of droppings strewn all across the floor.
Delay in response
Yet Ms Pocock was told by members of Cardiff Council that someone would be back to inspect the issue in four to five working days. A period during which George, her dog, came moments from death.
'I couldn't believe they'd told me it would be that long. I had dead mice and rat poison in my kitchen, I couldn't wait five days,' she fumes.
'Hours later, George walked past me with a grin on his face, the sort of smirk when you know he's done something wrong. I went to check the kitchen and my heart just dropped, he'd eaten all of the mice.'
'I just instantly panicked. The PDSA told me we needed to bring him in urgently. If he wasn't treated within 45 minutes, they told me he could die. The dog is like one of my children. I can't describe the feeling.'
George was rushed to the vets by Ms Pocock's sister, where he had his stomach pumped and was given medication. Luckily he pulled through - only just - before spending the rest of the week seriously ill.
Ongoing infestation
In the aftermath of the incident, Ms Pocock says the local council agreed to refurbish her flat and, crucially, identify and close possible entry points for the rodents. But almost a year to the day since the traumatic ordeal, Ms Pocock's rodent hell persists - and the infestation appears to have spread.
'The last couple of weeks there's been a disgusting smell in the hallway,' she says. 'Like rotten eggs, and it's got worse and worse. The last four or five days, it's been so bad that it's been penetrating my home. I even thought it could be a dead body.'
'The police visited and found two dead rats next door. I've seen mice in my flat too. They're everywhere, the drainage, the pipes. Everywhere. They are all over the place, breeding and breeding.'
It's left Ms Pocock fearing a repeat of the incident which almost saw her beloved George pass away. She said: 'The dog is like my protector. He's not just a pet, he's like one of my children. I'm his human and the thought that anything could happen to him because of this, it's unbearable.'
Council response
She is calling on the Labour-run council to invest in a bid to eradicate the block of flats, situated in Gabalfa, of its rat infestation. Recladding works on the flats were completed two years ago in the wake of the Grenfell disaster, though the construction took some four years to finish. During that period, residents complained of dire living conditions due to damp and mould.
'You can't polish a turd,' Ms Pocock says while recalling the work done on the block's exterior.
A spokesperson for Cardiff Council told the Mail of the ordeal: 'After reports of rodents at the property, the Council arranged pest control treatment. Visits took place on 9th June 2025, when bait was put down in the kitchen, and again on 18th June 2025. At the second visit there were no signs that the bait had been eaten, so more bait was placed in other areas.'
'A further visit on 25th June 2025 found no signs of rodent activity, and the tenant confirmed there had been no problems during the treatment period. The case was then closed.'
'The property was visited again this month, when fresh signs of rodents were found, including droppings in the boiler cupboard. Traps have now been set in the kitchen, bathroom, hallway and storage cupboards, with a follow‑up visit planned for 7th April.'
'Alongside the pest control work, the council's repairs team has also been to the property to seal holes and gaps that could allow rodents to get in.'
