Baltimore County community says rat infestation has become a serious health concern

Residents in a Baltimore County community said a growing rat problem has gotten so severe that it's now a health risk. 

Towson Manor Village residents told WJZ that two dogs in the neighborhood recently contracted leptospirosis, a bacterial disease carried by rodents.

People who have lived in the neighborhood for decades said they've never seen the rats this bad. 

On Friday, the Baltimore County Executive's Office said the Code Enforcement team will sweep the area on Monday, Aug. 25, and look for violations that could be bringing rats.

A spokesperson for the county executive's office said the Towson Manor Village neighborhood was exterminated in May and June and will be exterminated again in September. 

"The Code Enforcement team has been proactive with sweeps and exterminations in this neighborhood this year already, and have more planned in the near future," spokesperson Eria Palmisano said in a statement. "Ultimately, each homeowner is responsible for keeping their property clean and free of rats, but when it becomes an infestation throughout the neighborhood (which has been evaluated by our sweep team and the reason we have exterminated already this year) the County can step in and perform an extermination."

"They are everywhere"

Residents in the community believe the problem escalated in the last few years, as rental companies purchased more homes.

Longtime resident Matt Gaylor said every night the rats come out in droves.

"They are everywhere," Gaylor said. 

Andrea Mason said she often sees several at a time, mostly in their alley behind Linden Avenue near the trash. 

"It's horrible," Mason said.

Gaylor said the rats are getting bolder, and residents are starting to see them during the day. 

"Now, at four or five o'clock, you'll see them running through the bushes to get to the trash up and down the alleyway," Gaylor said. "It's a constant thing."

According to the Baltimore County Executive's Office, the Burkleigh Square community is also experiencing an uptick in rats. 

"Our Code Enforcement team, along with Councilman Ertel, met with two members of the community association of Burkleigh Square last Tuesday and went over some of these concerns," spokesperson Palmisano said. "Both the Towson Manor Village and Burkleigh Square neighborhoods are experiencing an uptick in rat population and we're using all the resources we have to reduce the population through enforcement, extermination and education."

Rats impacting quality of life

Residents said the infestation is affecting their quality of life and creating growing health concerns. 

Community Association President Sara Judd said the rise in rental properties has made the issue worse.

"They are owned by absentee landlords, and most of the renters are not setting out trash with proper protection, which is fueling this growing colony of rats," Judd said.

The county conducted rat eradications in the spring, but residents said it barely made a dent. Some have resorted to handling the problem themselves.

"I have personally killed about 200 of them," said Wayne Whipfield.

Need for stricter trash regulations

Neighbors believe stricter trash regulations could help. 

Michael Hannigan, who lives in the community, said requiring metal trash cans with tight-fitting lids would keep rats from accessing food sources.

"I don't want them in my house, I don't want them in the neighborhood, and I'm sure everybody in the neighborhood can agree with me," Gaylor said.