Bristol Uni students are paying £178-a-week to live in rat and silverfish-infested accommodation

Hundreds of Bristol Uni students have spent their first term living in accommodation infested with rats around the building and silverfish inside their flats.

Residents at £178-a-week, Orchard Heights, have taken to making an Instagram account showcasing just how bad the problem is.

Ironically named, Orchard Heights Pets, students have been submitting pictures and videos of multiple rats around their bins directly outside the building as well as silverfish insects in their living spaces and bedrooms.

Described as offering “modern en suite rooms” in the “picturesque” Clifton area, Orchard Heights houses 448 undergrad and postgrad students and despite its lofty billing on the university website, it appears the reality is far from it.

First year Orchard Heights resident, Reegan, told The Bristol Tab: “We have so many rats, it’s insane”.

Rats spotted by the communal student bins Via: @orchardheights_pets

Abbie, a third year student who lived in Orchard Heights two years ago explained this is not a new issue. “There were shit loads of rats and silverfish when I was in Orchard in first year”, she said.

“It was so grim.”

While the accommodation is run in partnership with Unite Students, Bristol Uni are the landlord and according to Reegan they have done little to solve the problem.

“They just send us emails telling us to put our rubbish in the correct places.”

Screenshot of email sent to Orchard Heights residents last week reminding them how to avoid “unwanted pests”

The owner of the account @orchardheights_pets told The Bristol Tab seeing rats is “pretty much a daily occurrence in the courtyards”. They also said they’d seen silverfish in their flat five times since they moved into their flat at the end of September.

Harry, a second year economics student, who lived in Orchard Heights last year admitted he hadn’t seen any rats but that silverfish were “normal”.

Former resident, Harry, described silverfish as “normal” Via: @orchardheights_pets

“We definitely had silverfish around but I didn’t hear about rats”, he said.

He went on to say: “It was just a normal amount, like you’d see one once every few days but it could have got worse to be fair.”

A Bristol Uni spokesperson said: “We’ve received no complaints about rodents and pests at this residence. However, we’re speaking to the building managers Unite to investigate and determine what action needs to be taken.”

A spokesperson for Unite Students said: “We have not received any recent reports about this issue at Orchard Heights. Once made aware, we would always take immediate action.

“We are aware of the doors needing to be fixed on the bin store outside the property. This is a priority and is being carried out imminently.”

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