Neighbours being terrorised by rats which have overrun a derelict house are pleading for action to be taken.

The property in Chingford Avenue has been empty for 25 years and is now believed to be a haven for hundreds of rodents which destroy belongings and try to get into nearby houses.

Police have been called twice to break into the property following reports of a potent stench which could have been a decomposing body – only to find dead foxes.

Pam Eldridge lives next door to the house and said she has not seen the owner of the property for four years.

The 69-year-old said: “It’s more than disgusting.

“There’s an enormous amount of rats, from little ones up to great big ones.

“They come under the fence and tear everything to bits.”

“No one knows the whereabouts of the owner.”

She added that despite submitting numerous complaints and a petition to the council, the problem has not been solved.

A neighbour, who has lived in the street for several decades but did not want to be identified, said: “It’s getting worse every year.

“When we leave the conservatory door open on warm days we have to board up the bottom half of the entrance to stop rats getting in.

“It looks like it needs pulling down. Everybody who comes past stares at it.

“It’s disgusting and all of us have had enough of it.”

A council spokesman said officers bait rats to keep them under control in the house, adding the authority has been pursuing the owner for more than a year.

A notice has been served on the owner to fix the overgrown garden and a drainage problem in July this year.

He added that the owner has scheduled building work for October and promised to clean up the house.