A terrified grandmother says she been left too scared to go to sleep after rats infested her family home.

The rodents have eaten through the walls and ceiling of Jeanette Paton's home after they were attracted by a build-up of rubbish on her street.

The 50-year-old said she complained at least a dozen times to the council and the housing association which manages her house.

But the gran, who lives in the Niddrie area of Edinburgh, claims she has received no help to get rid of the pests.

She became so frustrated that she even brought three dead rats into the offices of Castle Rock Edinvar housing association to prove she had a problem - causing the receptionist to run away screaming.

Jeanette said: "My house is starting to get eaten to bits. They are chewing through the walls. We can hear them all.

"There's black bags piled up everywhere. My son and daughter don't want to stay.

"My son has stopped [my grandchildren] coming, and I don't want them here either. It's just ridiculous. This has been going on since July.

"The first rat we caught was the first week in August. I've caught another two since.

"We've seen another two running about upstairs, but we can't catch them as they are that quick.

"They come out during the day and that's what's really scary. It's actually horrifying. I know I'm not the only one who has them - my neighbour caught one in his kitchen."

Mrs Paton said she and her grown-up daughter had been forced to sleep in the living room after a rat chewed a hole in her bedroom ceiling and fell through the plaster.

She blamed the infestation on a build-up of black bin bags and litter in the surrounding estate, and insisted the council was not emptying the bins frequently enough.

And she said she had even rented a van twice in the last few weeks to take the rubbish away herself, in an attempt to tackle the problem.

As rats are naturally secretive, pest control experts warn that regular sightings could be a sign of a "full-blown infestation".

A Castle Rock Edinvar spokesman said: "We are aware of concerns regarding environmental issues at Hay Gardens in Edinburgh, caused by discarded refuse to the rear of a property.

"The safety of our residents and their properties is of utmost importance, and we are working in tandem with our local authority partners to identify a rapid solution."

But a council spokesman insisted they were "unaware of issues in the street which has the same collection system and frequency as other kerbside properties in the city".

He added: "The council is always working to make improvements to our service and the new recycling arrangements actually provide an increased capacity for household waste.

"We do not take away excess bags, however if residents are having difficulty recycling then we are more than happy to pay them a visit and provide advice."