Families in temporary social housing have accused the council of neglecting them after finding rats in their homes.

Residents living in ground floor accommodation across two blocks in Canterbury Road, Herne Bay, have found droppings on work surfaces, gnawed food and the vermin scuttling across their floors over the last week.

Single-mum Charlotte Everett is worried for her seven-year-old daughter’s health after finding evidence of rats in her flat.

“There’s probably more than one in there,” the 32-year-old said. “I’ve noticed droppings on the floor and work surfaces. It’s awful.

“We can hear scratching and other noises from the rats at night. Packets of food have been ripped open by them in the cupboards.

“We can’t invite people over when the place is like this. I’m scared and worried because I’ve got a little one.

“Because I’m on housing benefits no landlord takes us and we’ve ended up with this. I don’t want to be here, but this is the temporary accommodation we’ve been given.”

Another woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, realised there were rats in her home on Saturday when a friend of hers saw one scurry across her floor.

“I also emptied the cupboards out and found droppings,” she said. “I can’t even tell one of my kids because she wouldn’t be able to sleep – she’d have night terrors.

“It shouldn’t be like this – we’ve lived here for more than a year and the council is getting £120 per week in rent from me.”

She later noticed that some of the food she had stored in her cupboards had been chewed on and has tried to seal the holes in her kitchen units with foil to combat this.

Rats have regularly been seen in the garden where many of the children play behind the blocks in recent months.

The woman added: “My kids come running in and shut the doors behind them because the rats are really brazen and run around out there.”

Ms Everett said she and everyone else living on the ground floor of both of blocks have complained to the council, but they are still waiting for pest control to be sent round.

“The council doesn’t really care,” she said. “Everyone in the block has complained to the council about the rats.

“We also had a problem with rats in the front garden last year after there were piles of rubbish left outside by people who’d moved out.”

Council spokesman Rob Davies said: ​"​We are aware of ​an issue with rat​s at this property​. A pest control company attended on Tuesday of this week and laid bait and traps in a variety of locations.​ A revisit is booked for tomorrow (Friday).

"There was a similar issue last year which we responded to in the same way after it was raised with us by residents."