A DISABLED dad was forced to barricade himself in his bedroom after rats “the size of cats” invaded his home.
Paul Doyle said the big rodents entered his ground floor flat after a build up of rubbish at nearby takeaways on his street.
A large rat runs towards bags of rubbish (stock image)[/caption]
Due to his vulnerabilities, including terminal respiratory condition COPD, and ME – which causes severe fatigue – he struggled to keep the pests at bay.
The 49-year-old described how they would scurry over him at night as well as eat his food – with one even carrying a whole pizza off his plate as he dozed in front of the TV.
Having eventually gotten the issue at bay, after he was afforded carers, Paul now fears major proposed cuts to disability support could see him struggling once again – and the night rat infestation return.
He told The Sun: “The first day I noticed I had them, I’d made a pizza but I was exhausted and fell asleep on the couch.
“I woke up and my pizza was running across the floor. I was like ‘how’s that happening?’
“I couldn’t put two and two together, then I saw a big tail sticking out of the back of it.”
He described the rats as “the size of kittens or bigger”.
Dad-of-three Paul, from Wallsend in North Tyneside, added: “It was scary…They would scurry across me when I was asleep, that’s why I barricaded myself in my bedroom.
“You could smell when they’d been in the flat because they were in the sewers and then coming into my home.”
On one occasion he woke up to find a “mark on my toe and a rat running away… I was convinced it had bitten me”.
Paul’s health had taken a “downward spiral” a few years before the infestation during the Covid lockdown, following an operation to remove his tonsils.
“I got a severe post-op infection and then contracted ME,” he explained. “It seemed to get worse and worse.”
Just doing the housework led to severe energy depletion, which could see Paul bedridden for two days.
Last year he came close to dying twice and spent extended periods in hospital due to a pulmonary embolism and pneumonia.
He previously had to give up his full-time job as a carer and ironically now has two carers of his own who visit multiple times a day to help him complete everyday tasks.
“Before I had the carers, I was constantly getting blood clots because I was spending long periods in bed,” he explained.
“The rats arrived and were running round, stealing the food off my plate. I was neglected.”
‘My house was a tip’
He went on to say: “When my carers first came my house was a tip because all I could concentrate on was getting fed and the occasional wash.
“I was just using wet wipes to clean myself. I was constantly getting skin infections and sores.”
However, Paul, like many other vulnerable Brits, is worried about the Government’s proposed changes to Daily Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and Universal Credit – and how it might impact the support he receives.
If he were to lose his carers, for example, he fears he’ll struggle if the streets have another infestation, like that in parts of Birmingham due to the bin strikes.
A rat runs through a street in Birmingham due to the bin strikes[/caption]
Piles of rubbish outside a takeaway in the UK city[/caption]
Large rats in bags of rubbish in Birmingham[/caption]
He pays out £200 to his carers directly from his PIP payments – which make up a third of his total income – each month.
He said: “My life’s improved 10-fold since I got the carers. I don’t expect to be skipping down the street, happy as Larry – but I want some quality of life and it’s not much quality of life being bedbound because you can’t cope with daily living.”
The proposed changes will see PIP recipients needing to reach the highest score of four on at least one of the daily tasks laid out by the Government to prove they need support.
However, Paul currently does not meet this threshold on a regular basis.
It was scary…They would scurry across me when I was asleep, that’s why I barricaded myself in my bedroom.
Paul Doyle
He said: “It’s crazy the rules, like if you can wash between your shoulder blades you can get two points, but if you can’t wash between your shoulder blades and your feet you get four points.
“It just doesn’t make any sense at all. What about someone like me whose abilities fluctuate around?
“Like some days I can manage better than others. I wouldn’t say I’m able bodied by any means but I can manage a bit better with the support from the carers.
“I know it goes off your worst days but still, it’s all very up in the air.”
The Government is currently consulting on the changes in the Pathways to Work green paper, which could be brought in next year – and it’s not entirely clear what the new rules will be.
Proposed changes to disability support
The Government is looking to reform disability support.
The “Pathways to Work” Green Paper is a consultation document published by the UK government that outlines proposals for reforming the benefits system, particularly for those with health and disability conditions, to encourage more people into work.
It’s a key part of the government’s “Get Britain Working” initiative.
The proposals include changes to the work capability assessment, the PIP system, and the health element of Universal Credit.
The Green Paper proposes to make it more difficult for some groups of disabled people to qualify for the daily living component of PIP, including a new test of scoring at least four points in any one daily living activity.
The Green Paper also addresses the potential impact on unpaid carers, particularly those who care for people with health and disability conditions.
Paul said: “It’s the uncertainty… I worked for 20-odd years. I was proud to have my wage coming in, I knew it was my money, no one could take it.
“There were no conditions apart from going to work. Now the hammer weight could drop at any moment. It’s just the uncertainty of a letter coming through the door, a brown envelope.”
Paul is being supported by Christians Against Poverty.
Stewart McCulloch, CAP’s Chief Executive Officer, says: “We understand the Government needs to try and prevent the welfare bill from rising substantially in the coming years, but we believe investing in people, instead of cutting their income, is the way to achieve this.
“Many people in receipt of PIP Daily Living rely on this additional support to help them with everyday life.
“The prospect of potentially losing this vital source of income will create high levels of anxiety for some of the UK’s most vulnerable households.”
“We are in constructive discussions with both the Treasury and DWP and are providing insights to help support the development of policies that tackle the root causes that trap people in poverty.
“We warmly welcome the proposal to remove the reassessments for people with lifelong conditions, but changing PIP eligibility criteria, and reviewing the assessment may put some of the most vulnerable at risk of falling into unmanageable debt.
“While CAP welcomes the rise in the standard Universal Credit allowance by £775, we are still deeply concerned about people with additional needs on low incomes and facing rises in essential bills such as energy, water, and council tax bills in April.
“Funding for tailored, free face-to-face debt advice support designed to help people with additional needs is also shrinking.
“We worry that some of the most vulnerable may fall into debt and not have the tailored support they need to get them back on their feet.”
CAP’s fundraising appeal to help support people like Paul can be found here.
What is PIP?
Personal Independence Payments (PIP) is a benefit aimed at people above the age of 16-years-old.
PIP includes a “daily living” component that provides financial support to individuals who need help with everyday tasks due to a disability or health condition.
This component is assessed based on how difficult it is for the claimant to perform certain activities, such as preparing food, bathing, or managing medication.
The amount of PIP received depends on the number of points awarded during the assessment, with higher points leading to a higher rate.
