Rats overrun N. Providence neighborhood

NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - People living in one section of North Providence say their neighborhood is infested with rats, and the mayor is threatening citations against residents who attract rodents by leaving their trash cans uncovered.

Eyewitness News cameras spotted two dead rats in a yard in the Marieville section of North Providence Wednesday.

Cheryl Rossi has lived there for forty years, but says the neighborhood never had a rodent problem until recently.

"Sometimes if you're driving up and down the street they'll be dead in the road, in somebody's yard, it's disgusting," said Rossi.

She claims the rats are ruining her family's quality of life.

"They've been in our backyard. I didn't even put up my son's pool this year because of these rats," Rossi added. "They've been up and down the street, and at other peoples houses."

North Providence Mayor Charles Lombardi tells Eyewitness News that food from open trash cans is attracting the rats. He says residents need to make sure their trash is covered to keep the rodents away.

Mayor Lombardi also says the town has hired a professional pest control company to educate residents about what they can do to keep the rats away. 

According to the mayor, the next step is to begin citing residents who do not cover their trash.

Mayor Lombardi says the town cannot put out rat poison to kill the rodents, because of liability reasons.