Glasgow mum says year-long slug infestation left autistic son unable to use bathroom

Rebecca Macdonald lives with her two kids, five and two, in a flat in Maryhill.

She is a full-time carer to her five-year-old autistic son, Alexander.

The issue, which Ms Macdonald said started at the beginning of last year, has been causing distress to the young boy, who now refuses to enter the bathroom at the sight of them.

“It’s really hard for him as he hates all creatures and stuff like that,” said Ms Macdonald.

“So, getting up during the night to go to the toilet and finding slugs in the bathroom, he point-blank refuses to use the toilet.”

Mum-of-two Rebecca Macdonald has been fighting a slug infestation in her Maryhill flat for a year.

The 25-year-old said she had to watch her son regress because of the slug infestation.

“He is now at a stage where he is wetting himself at night-time because he doesn’t go into the bathroom,” she added.

“So, it’s really hard to see him kind of going back like that because of the house.

“I’m having to pick them up and put them down the toilet pan or move them so my wee boy can go into the toilet.

“I’m also waking up during the night and the first time I went in I stepped on one, it was horrible.”

The woman said she had repeatedly flagged the issue to Queen’s Cross Housing Association, which manages the property.

In response, the housing association said it was first notified of the issue in March and is currently working with Ms Macdonald to resolve the issue.

Images taken by Ms Macdonald show slugs crawling all over her bathroom floor and fixtures.

However, Ms Macdonald claims the slugs started appearing in January 2021, after her bathroom was renovated following a leak.

Not long after the works, she started seeing slugs crawling all over her bathroom fixtures and floor.

She said the housing association recently visited the property, after which more leaks were fixed and any holes sealed.

However, the Ms Macdonald claimed she discovered another 10 to 12 slugs at the weekend, which prompted her to call her GP.

“I just spoke to my doctor about this as well because it’s stressing me out, constantly having to argue with my housing association and not getting anywhere with them,” she said.

“My wee girl is only two, so she’s at a stage where she wants to pick them up and I have to keep an eye on her.

“They are massive as well. I’m sending pictures and videos to the housing association.

“They told me to put salt down in my bathroom, which I’ve done and it has done nothing to keep them at bay.”

Ms Macdonald's son, Alexander, who has autism, has been left unable to enter the bathroom due to the slugs.

Jim Williams, maintenance manager at Queen’s Cross Housing Association, said: “We first knew about this problem in the property at the end of March and carried out an inspection that week. At that point we couldn’t see signs of slugs.

“When Ms Macdonald reported the problem to us again this month, we arranged another inspection to try to identify the cause of the problem.

“This is an unusual situation but we are currently working with Ms Macdonald to try and resolve this issue to everyone’s satisfaction.”