Paul Cooney, his partner Senga Lama and their two girls Brooke, 10, and seven-year-old Ellie are desperate to leave their Second Avenue flat but fear it could be a long time before they can start afresh elsewhere.

Paul is convinced the arrival of the rodents in their home is directly linked to the building’s close proximity to the old cinema and bingo hall, which is rotting away just yards from their run-down back court.

The 36-year-old dad says the problem is exacerbated by anti-social elements in the area who leave drug paraphernalia scattered around their common close, creating an unhygienic environment as well as a climate of fear.

He and Senga want to move away from Radnor Park for the sake of the girls who, as well as having nowhere safe to play outside, are also living in fear of coming face-to-face with another giant rat.

Paul explained: “The kids are terrified and the wee one is too scared to sleep in her own room.

“Just last week we found one of her skirts had been destroyed by the rats. It looks like they’ve nibbled through it and there were also some droppings nearby. But the worst thing was when we found a rat in our oven. It was about a foot long and just sitting in there. The kids were traumatised. We just closed the kitchen door and called the environmental health out but they didn’t arrive until the next morning after we had spent the whole night in the living room.” The family have not had their troubles to seek in recent years.

They are one of the Clydebank families impacted by the so-called Bedroom Tax and Paul has only recently returned to work on a part-time basis after he was struck down by a severe case of pneumonia that saw his weight plummet to just seven stone.

They are unsure what the future holds and although West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) has offered them alternative accommodation, the couple say the options have been stark so far and they see no reason to move from one bad situation to another.

Senga, 34, said: “We’re desperate to leave but the property we looked at in Garscadden View wasn’t any better so we turned it down. I’m not happy letting the girls play outside and they’re anxious at home. All I want is for my girls to grow up in a home where they feel safe.” A spokeswoman for WDC said the authority had made “every effort” to support the family and respond to their requirements. They said Environmental Health officers carried out investigation earlier this year into rodents at the property and drug paraphernalia being discarded in the common close but found “no evidence” of either.

However, she added: “A further complaint was received from the tenant in the past week and is now being investigated.

“The tenant was offered alternative accommodation but did not accept this. In light of the concerns raised, the council is putting additional security measures in place at the property and we will continue to work with the tenant and support them in any way we can.”