A father is worried for the safety of his child and unborn baby because of an infestation of rats in his loft.

John Crosskey said rodents have been plaguing his family since last August but, every time the problem is dealt with, the rats return.

Mr Crosskey, 24, said they could easily enter his council flat from above and he fears for the health of his three-year-old son Jack and seven-months-pregnant wife Karen.

He said: "My wife, my son and myself are all in the same bedroom. We have lived in the flat for three-and-a-half years and have had a rat problem since last August.

"We don't know if they come into the flat but when you lie in bed at night you can hear them in the loft.

"They are scratching and running around and squeaking.

"They are making nests in the insulation and have destroyed my son's baby stuff, which we were storing there for the new baby.

"The rats have ripped things up and urinated on them.

"My wife's wedding dress was eaten and turned into a nest.

"Our son was born prematurely because of stress and worry and now we could be going through the same thing again."

Mr Crosskey said Brighton and Hove City Council acted promptly when the rats were first discovered in Lancing Court, Findon Road, Whitehawk, Brighton.

But, although the problem has been identified and tackled twice before, several months later the rodents returned.

Last week they came back for a third time and Mr Crosskey said he wants action before his wife gives birth.

He said: "We just want to get out of the flat. We are trying hard but are hitting our heads against a brick wall.

"We all share one room but are going to have a daughter in the next few months.

"We are slightly in arrears on our rent and the council won't move us up unless we settle that.

"But why should we pay it when we have problems with rats?"

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokesman said: "When the issue of rats at Lancing Court cropped up previously, our pest control people baited the affected areas and the problem appeared to go away.

"We're sorry to hear it has returned.

"Our pest control officer will be visiting again and as well as taking immediate appropriate pest control measures we will also conduct a full survey of the building.

"We very much hope this will establish whether there is a root cause of the rat problem and we will then work to eradicate any underlying problems as quickly as possible."