A TORMENTED homeless man residing in temporary accommodation in Glasgow has blasted the building's mice problem as "insufferable". 

Terry Murphy - who has been living in the Rennie Mackintosh Hotel on Union Street for eight weeks - says he has not had a full night's sleep since he moved in. 

The 48-year-old says his sleeping is disturbed every evening with the vermin "rustling around" in his bedroom as soon as he turns the lights out. 

He said: "Every time I go to my bed at night I hear them rustling around in my room. When I turn the light on, you can see them scurrying away back to where they came from.

“My sleeping is terrible because you just keep thinking about the mice running about your room, it is horrible and it has got to be bad for your health."

Glasgow Times:

Mr Murphy even claims that the mice have jumped onto the beds of other residents while they sleep. 

Staff at the hotel have tried to take the helm of the problem by handing out mice traps but residents say it does not resolve the issue. 

Mr Murphy, from Shettleston, said: "The problem started the very first night I moved here and it has continued every night since. The staff have been giving us traps but they don’t seem to deter the mice at all.

“The whole place is overrun with mice. You only need to walk out of your room and into the hallway at night time and you can see them scuttering around.

"Truthfully, the problem is so bad I don't actually know how you'd be able to deter them at this stage there are that many of them."

The conditions are having a profound impact on the mental wellbeing of Mr Murphy, who has been homeless for more than one year. 

Glasgow Times:

“It’s terrible that we have to live like this", he said

"I’m devastated, I thought I would be coming to a facility that would be a good shelter but it has left me really worried about my health – we don’t know if they’re carrying diseases.

"I'm not sleeping at night which really impacts how I feel the following day. It's becoming insufferable staying here."

Homeless Project Scotland described the infestation as "inhumane" while the charity asked council leaders and officials "if they could sleep with mice running around their bedrooms?".

Chairman Colin McInnes said: “These living conditions are inhumane. Glasgow City Council vowed back in April to resolve this issue but it is clear it hasn’t been sorted at all.

“I would like to ask the council leaders and officials if they could sleep with mice running around their bedrooms?

“These conditions will have a detrimental impact on the mental wellbeing of those residing at this facility. A lot of them already have to fight daily battles – how are they meant to move on with their lives if they can’t get any sleep?

“We’re not living in a third-world country, there is no excuse for these conditions.”

Glasgow Times:

Glasgow City Council said that it had previously sent pest control teams to the hotel to address the vermin issue and has vowed to monitor the situation. 

A spokesperson for Glasgow's Homeless Services said: “We’ve been informed of a small number of mice sightings. Tiny field mice can squeeze through the tightest gap when looking for somewhere warm to rest.

“Pest control has visited the property and measures have been put in place to address the issue.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and any resident with concerns should speak to their care worker for support.”