Rat-infested HDB unit in Clementi has neighbours living in fear

Oh rats! The sight of one is enough to send shivers down (most) people's spines. Now imagine having to live among them.

Some Clementi residents are at their wits' end after a rat infestation that started in February shows no signs of ending any time soon.

Residents of an HDB block along Clementi Avenue 5 pinpointed one particular unit on the fourth storey as the source of the pests, claiming that the owner had cluttered the corridor with miscellaneous items for years, reported local media.

A foul smell emanating from the unit in question has also forced all the neighbours on the same floor to keep their windows and doors shut.

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An Mei Jia, 70, one of the affected residents told Shin Min Daily News that the rats suddenly popped up in the area in February. 

An mentioned that she deals with the rodents by laying out rat poison and killing them whenever she sees them. To date, she has caught 27 rats.

"They scamper about in the corridor, no matter the time of day. They even run into my house at night. It's so noisy that I can't sleep in peace," An said in Mandarin.

Another resident, known only as Lee, told 8world.com that she is so afraid of the rats that she makes her footsteps louder and jangles her keys to scare them off whenever she returns home.

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In an interview with 8world.com, the owner of the unit shrugged off her neighbours' complaints, saying that there were only "one or two" rats in her house.

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The owner, who remains unnamed, said that she does not live in the unit and claims that she tidies up the clutter along the corridor every day.

Residents have made repeated reports to Jurong-Clementi Town Council but the issue has yet to be resolved.

A resident, known only as Luo, said that the town council had previously sent a social worker to help clear the mess and counsel the homeowner. However, it wasn't long before the clutter began to build up again in the corridor.

Jurong-Clementi Town Council did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

kimberlylim@asiaone.com