Blakes Crossing residents say mice are overrunning their homes following mild weather

Residents of an outer Adelaide suburb say their homes have been overrun by a record number of mice as one owner claims she saw five inside at once.

Residents of an outer Adelaide suburb are reporting a record number of mice inundating their homes.

People living at Blakes Crossing say they have never seen so many rodents with mild summer conditions and soil disturbances understood to be forcing the pests to seek shelter.

Kait Stacey, who has lived in the area for two years, said mice were overrunning her home.

“They’re everywhere,” she said.

“We are catching two to three every day.

“Last week we had four right inside our house and one was going back into the bath drain when I walked into our children’s bathroom.

“We get one or two every day under out kitchen sink where we have traps set up 24/7.”

Rats eating in messy kitchen. Picture: iStock

A rodent caught by a Blakes Crossing resident. Picture: Facebook

Ms Stacey said the rodents were running rampant out of sight too with mice running through her roof and walls at night.

“Nothing seems to work as per traps, poison and everything else,” she said.

“I’ve seen two pest control cars in the last week on our street visiting our neighbours.”

Blakes Crossing resident Stephanie Lynch with her partner Jonathon outside of their home. Picture: Supplied

Nearby, Stephanie Lynch, has had the same experience.

“It’s crazy here at the moment,” she said.

“I’ve never had a mice problem (before), but I’ve been told because they’re digging up dirt across Main North Rd the mice are migrating towards Blakes Crossing.

“I’m petrified of them so I run when I see them.”

An aerial view of Blakes Crossing, an area amid major housing development. Picture: Google Earth

City of Playford chief executive Sam Green said the council was aware of a “small amount of mice activity” in the area and said it was “assumed” it could be attributed to nearby rural areas.

Mr Green said while the council could help with information on how to manage vermin, the responsibility for their control was in the hands of the resident.

“Controlling mice on private properties is the responsibility of the resident,” he said.

It comes after South Australians across the state flocked to hardware stores to stock up on mouse traps and rat bait.

In March, sales of the rodent eradicators were up 20 per cent at Mitre10 stores compared to the previous year.

The Blakes Crossing Woolworths is believed to have experienced similar demand.

The surge at Blakeview has raised concern among residents with the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System reporting significant higher than usual cases of rodent borne leptospirosis in humans in Australia in the past 12 months.

The bacterial disease is spread by leptospira bacteria is often found in the urine of infected animals including rats and mice.

Mr Green said SA Health did not provide councils with statistics on the disease and could not say whether there had been any cases at Blakes Crossing.

City of Playford describes Blakes Crossing as an “iconic new address” expected to be home to 4000 new residents when it is finished.