Environmental health staff at Mid Devon District Council have been given the job of dealing with a serious rat problem in Sandford.
The problem is centred on a rundown cottage which has been uninhabited since a fire early in 2009, reports the Mid Devon Star.
With the property empty and in a state of disrepair, the house became home to scores of rats, leading to complaints from local residents.
The council's environmental health officers were handed the job of persuading the property's owner to take steps to deal with the infestation, but were unable to convince him to act.
With the problem getting worse, council officials used legal powers to clear the garden and make it safe for pest control staff to enter the property and begin the task of getting rid of the rats.
The council has now begun legal action to force the owner to sell the cottage, in order to ensure it can be brought back up to standard and used for residential purposes again.
Powers enabling local authorities to take ownership of properties in poor condition are also being used by Haringey Council.
It has successfully applied for compulsory purchase orders for five derelict properties and now intends to renovate them and sell them to a social housing provider.
