NEIGHBOURS say they are too scared to walk through their own homes which are plagued with rats “as big as foxes”.

People living in flats in Greenleaf Way, Harrow Weald, say the problem appeared nearly five years ago – but the rodents are getting bigger and bigger.

Esmin Sinclair says she has caught around 15 rats recently but despite laying traps and poison, the problem has not gone away.

The 58-year-old said: “It’s very frightful – it puts me in depression. I’m scared to leave my bed or go through the toilet in because I live in fear of seeing them.

“I saw one and it was so big, it was like a fox. I screamed. I was terrified, what is that doing in my house? I’ve lived in the West Indies but never have I seen a rat that large.

“When I have visitors around, it’s very embarrassing and I’m always worried.”

She says Dominion Housing Association, which is responsible for managing the block, has not done anything to try and curb the problem.

She added: “It’s disgusting, we aren’t getting any help even though it’s an ongoing thing. We’ve had pest controllers out too who set some bait, but that didn’t work.”

Her neighbour Amynah Bhanji managed to trap one of the rats in a cage on Tuesday in her garden, but has no idea what to do with it.

The 50-year-old, who has Ataxia meaning she struggles to walk, thinks the animals are getting into her house through a hole in the kitchen.

Last year, she taped it up but to her horror, the creatures manage to gnaw through the cardboard and ate through a box of minced pies.

She says she lives in fear of being woken up to a rat crawling on her bed and says her disability means she will not be able to move escape.

She added: “It makes me feel horrible. I am always worried that rats are crawling everywhere. If something starts crawling over my bed I won’t be able to move quickly.

“At first they were very small mice but they are now getting bigger and bigger. The rat I caught is as big as two of my hands.

“I lock the kitchen because I’m scared they’ll escape into the rest of the house, but they could easily come through to the other rooms by other means.

“I am scared to be in my house. They have eaten my food. I am really just fed up.”

Dawn Wightman, A2Dominion’s Group Housing Director, said the association are aware of the issue with the vermin and are trying to resolve it.

“On a number of a occasions over the last six months we have sent out pest control to survey and treat the communal areas," she said.

“The most recent pest control report from earlier this month highlighted no hygiene concerns or bait taken.

“We will continue to assess the situation closely and will take further action as necessary.”