Reports that Glasgow City Council has received 14,000 complaints and requests to deal with rat infestations have led to a political row between Labour and the SNP.

Glasgow Labour MSP Johann Lamont raised the issue with Housing Minister, Kevin Stewart.

Ms Lamont asked for a Government response to the figures. Mr Stewart said he was aware of the reports and that councils were obliged to take steps to ensure their areas are free from rats.

He said Glasgow takes steps through a pest control team and ensuring waste collection services are adequate.

Read more: Glasgow tenant says Govan Housing Association must do more to tackle rat infestation

Ms Lamont however then said the scale meant there was clearly a “serious problem” in Glasgow.

She said funding decisions from the Scottish Government were having an impact on the implications for the health and wellbeing of people in the city.

Ms Lamont said: “When will the Scottish Government accept that its choice to make substantial cuts to Glasgow’s budget is having a direct impact on the front-line services that we all rely on, and when will the minister take responsibility for ensuring that Glasgow gets the fair funding that it so evidently needs to keep our streets clean and our citizens healthy?

Mr Stewart responded that he shared the ex-Labour leader’s concern about rats and the potential impact on health.

However, he refuted the allegations on council funding and instead put the responsibility back to the Labour Party.

Mr Stewart said: “I do not share her view on local government funding. This Government has been extremely fair over the years in relation to the settlements that Glasgow and the 31 other local authorities have received.”

He went on to outline steps taken in Glasgow on waste collection to improve environmental health.

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The minister said: “Glasgow City Council is currently investing £6.5 million in a three-phase bin-replacement programme, which will involve replacing approximately 48,000 existing small dustbins with 80,000 larger-capacity wheeled bins, in order to stop bins overflowing, which can attract pests.

“That programme could have been done under the city’s previous Labour regime, but it has taken a Scottish National Party-led council to sort out the problems.”