Any advice for my brother please?

[sasskins]

My brother owns his terraced house, but the property to one side of him is owned by a landlord who rents it out. His last tenants were a set of drug addicts who systematically stripped the house of wood, piping, wiring and even the stone flags deep in the kitchen flooring. It was like a building site inside when they were forcibly removed. It was immediately boarded up. There has been one visit from two workers (not council) to attempt to remove the rubbish left behind, but they left without moving anything as there were too many needles etc around. Anyway, since then my brother has had an infestation of rats coming from the empty house next door. The rats have chewed through the plastic pipework on his bath (even through the plastic nuts under the taps) and as a result had a leak down into his living room. The plaster on his ceiling is damaged and there is a hole about the size of a football. He told the council, and they duly sent the vermin guy round, and he laid poison several times but the rats are still there. He says he can't clear them until next door is tackled. The council keep contacting the landlord of the property but he doesn't respond. Can anyone offer any helpful advice to deal with any of this situation please?

[HowardKennitby]

Contact council Environmental Health dept, his local councillor, local paper or radio station etc.

[sasskins]

He has actually done all of those HK - there was anarticle about him in his local paper, his MP has just ignored him despite contacting him several times, and it's EnvH that came round and laid the poison for the rats. My brother is at his wits end.

[buildersmate]

I wonder if the rats are getting through to his side because the loftspace is not built-up to the rafter height in masonry? Many terraced houses were built like this and it causes a security problem as well, since it is possible to get from one property to the next by going up through one loft hatch and down the next one along.
If that is how the rats are getting across, I'd be inclined to be putting stud partitioning in there across the top of brick wall partition and plasterboarding both sides. An additional cost for him, I know, but it will stop the rats getting across - and it should be done on security grounds anyway.

If that isn't how the rats are getting across, then has he worked out their route?

Regarding the state of the property next door, he may unfortunately have to spend more time chasing up the landlord (via the letting agents if necessary) to assert his unhappiness - the council can unfortunately only do so much.

Perhaps CAB can help him with advice on legal redress, should he wish to consider claiming for his losses.