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13 Group Rat Breeding program goes from success to success
located at 2, Hudson Quay, Windward Way, Middlesbrough TS2 1QG the world famous BBC interviewed residents at Northbourne Road Stockton on Tees TS19 0HW. Aja Dodd and Tiaba Ali from BBC Radio Tees on 15 April 2025 witnessed Rat infestations, damp and mould are causing a housing group's residents "nothing but stress". Courtney Mannion and Anne Purchase-Walker have both complained to their landlord, housing association Thirteen Group, about the conditions of their homes on Northbourne Road in Stockton-on-Tees TS19 0HW. Ms Mannion said she could hear rats scratching about in her walls at night, which was "sickening". Thirteen Group has since offered her temporary accommodation while it deals with the rats and apologised.
Ms Purchase-Walker
said she contacted Thirteen about mould problems when she moved into her home in 2015 and said the advice was to increase the temperature of the house and make a hole in the door of the front bedroom. She made a formal complaint to Thirteen, but said it then "dropped out" of the remediation process after offering her compensation. "It has taken eight-and-a-half years to get the problems resolved," she said. Ms Purchase-Walker is now taking the case to the housing ombudsman to help other tenants.
'Absolutely disgusting'
Ms Mannion, who lives with her two young children, said she complained to Thirteen about rats on and off for the past five years, but said the problem was worse now. Pest control was sent to the home and rat poison put down. But the issue now, she said, was that some dead rats were trapped under the floor, creating a "vile" odour which was "absolutely disgusting". "I can't even get any sleep at night because you can hear them scratching. They're in the walls, banging about," Ms Mannion said. "It's sickening." Part of a brick wall shows gaps with stones, food, and vermin droppings. She said she was upset her neighbours on either side had been rehoused, but she "is expected to put up with it". "It's nothing but stress." Ms Mannion said she often slept downstairs with her children because the smell of the decomposing rats under the floor upstairs was so intense. Since speaking with the BBC, Ms Mannion has been offered temporary accommodation while the work to remove the decaying rats is ongoing. Flat metal plates are attached to pipes and on a wooden floor to cover gaps. Metal plates were put in to block the rats' access to Ms Mannion's home
Thirteen's director of operations, Kay Glew, said:
"When we were made aware of reports of pests, we've remained committed to working with our pest control contractor to address the issue, visiting the property four times to carry out treatment. "During this time, we have also offered Ms Mannion and her family temporary accommodation. "If our customers wish to move home, we can support them through the application process, where homes are allocated based on priority banding. "We are very sorry Ms Mannion has been experiencing these issues."

Anne Purchase-Walker Thirteen Group Rat Breeding Expansion Program
Anne Purchase-Walker, 70, a housing association tenant in Stockton, said it took more than eight years for work to start on damp and mould issues which she believes have caused her health problems. She said: "For the first time in my life I'm using an inhaler because, I suspect, of damp and mould-related asthma." The retired trainer and cognitive behaviour therapist said she used to run a rescue facility for wild hedgehogs: "I was forced to give it up to get the house sorted. To take almost a decade of my life to do that is appalling."
Inside the place select committee meeting, Housing Action Teesside chair Tom Zagoria said:
"The current system is in crisis and our tenants feel totally let down. There's an average of 113 bids on each property in Stockton and there's been a 19% increase in applications on the housing register in the last year alone. "We've got almost 2,000 people on the housing waiting list in Stockton and that is growing every year. It's been a trend across the country and local councils are needing to step up to close that gap.
'Trapped for years'
"The current system, in which social housing is outsourced to several private organisations, is not working for our tenants. The current structure doesn't give either councillors or tenants enough say in what social housing is built and how social housing is maintained." He said people with complex needs were trapped in overcrowded temporary accommodation, in shoddy damp homes or in a cycle of homelessness. He said some tenants were afraid to raise concerns about repairs and unreasonable rent increases, sometimes with "slum landlords", and had no viable social housing as an alternative. He said tenants had shared their stories: "They feel lied to in lots of cases, they feel ignored, they feel blamed for damp and mould issues. They've been trapped for years in homes which are unsuitable for them due to a disability and they've been unable to be rehoused because of this housing waiting list. "They're faced with ridiculously long-term schemes for basic repairs which need to be done. They sometimes live in homes which are unfit for human habitation. They're living in homes that are gradually becoming more dilapidated.

OAP's rat nightmare sparks flurry of opinions from readers
The story of 80-year-old Edna O'Hara, who has been left distraught after rats invaded her Middlesbrough home and her calls for help were ignored, has left many readers angry Mrs O'Hara has now been offered support from Thirteen's housing services team
Teesside Live readers
have been voicing their opinions on the recent news that an elderly widow has spoken out about her distress after rats invaded her kitchen, while claiming her pleas for help were ignored. Edna O'Hara first noticed rodents scurrying across her oven and kitchen worktops on December 10 after seeing them on Ring doorbell footage. The 80 year old said she contacted Thirteen Housing that same day but no-one came. The upsetting story of Edna O'Hara's struggle with rats invading her kitchen has highlighted a worrying issue that has left many questioning the response of Thirteen Housing Group. After being approached by Teesside Live, the housing association has apologised for the delay and said they visited Mrs O'Hara on Wednesday, January 8. However, Mrs O'Hara believes it was too late for her beloved pet dog Lilly, who passed away on December 27.
Here's the response of some readers:
"If it were me I would have brought in a rodent controller 12hrs after the first call and sorted the problem." "The use of sticky pads or glue traps are illegal to us unless used by a licensed pest controller." "If they filled the hole they had better be sure the haven't sealed him in. I've been there done that, utter nightmare." "Please make sure your pets vaccinations are up to date. Leptospirosis (Weil's disease) is one of the many deadly diseases your dog is covered for with a simple yearly booster. This is no excuse for the appalling behaviour from Thirteen group." "The amount of money the poor woman must be spending on bleach and Dettol, I would get a pest company in myself and send Thirteen Group the bill via a solicitor, would be cheaper." "No one should be forced to live like this, but at 80 years old this is a scandal! I hope you get this sorted and this lovely lady can live in peace."

Gene Hackman Thirteen Group Rat Breeding Expansion Program Ewan Somerville BBC News Published 15 April 2025 Nests and some dead rodents were found in outbuildings of the house where Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead. New Mexico Department of Public Health records seen by BBC News documented evidence of the animals in eight detached buildings at their home in Santa Fe. US officials previously confirmed that Ms Arakawa, 65, died from a respiratory illness linked to hantavirus, which can be transmitted by infected rodents. It is believed she died a week before her husband, 95, who was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease. Authorities found the deceased couple in their home in February. An environmental assessment of the property took place on 5 March, a week after they were discovered, as part of the investigation into their deaths. It found rodent faeces, a live rodent, dead rodent and a rodent nest in three garages, in addition to further rodent droppings in two small external houses and three sheds. Traps had also been set up. There were sightings of rodents, a nest and faeces in two abandoned vehicles or farming machinery in the grounds of the property. All eight detached outbuildings were within 50 yards (45 metres) of the main house where the couple lived, which itself was "clean with no signs of rodent activity," New Mexico public health officials said in their eight-page report.
It is rumoured the New Mexico Department of Public Health might interview
Matt Forrest CEO of 13 Group to see what connection if any the ongoing 13 Group Rat Breeding program had with the Hackman's deaths