I’ve been trapped in my home by badgers for 8 YEARS – I slept in my car for a month.. it’s not a life, just an existence

A WOMAN says she's been trapped in her own home for eight years due to badgers and even had to sleep in her car for a month.

Rae Boxley, 52, said she is forced to sleep upright on an armchair in her living room after her mould-ridden property left her suffering with breathing problems.

(Badgers have been digging up Rae's garden leaving it hollow and uneven.Credit: SWNS)

(Rae Boxley is locked in a dispute with her local council.Credit: SWNS)

(Mould covers her walls, ceilings and bedroom.Credit: SWNS)

She has been embroiled in a bitter dispute with her local council due to the state of her home, which has "black slime" on most of the furniture and attracts slugs.

Rae claims Dudley Council has done nothing to solve the issue after she estimates £10,000 worth of damage was caused to her belongings.

She says she can't store her clothes in her drawers because mould spores ruin them so she now keeps all her garments in carrier bags instead.

Rae, who lives with spinal myelopathy, which leaves her at risk of fatal injury from even a gentle fall, says even her garden in a safety hazard.

As well as mould covering her walls, ceilings and bedroom, the garden is also unusable due to burrowing badgers leaving the ground hollow and uneven.

Dudley Council said it had investigated but, as badgers are protected by law, its options are "very limited".

Rae, from Stourbridge, West Midlands, said she'd been told by her counsellor her ordeal was the equivalent of "12 years of physical torture."

Rae, who also spent a month sleeping in her car on the driveway, added: "The problems all started in 2012 and they still haven't been fixed.

"I can't bring anyone around here. It's too embarrassing and I didn't want to cause anyone breathing problems. It's not a life, it's just an existence.

"Inside all the floors are wet.

"They've been wet for 12 years. Even the carpets are wet now.

"I've had to throw furniture away. I've been sleeping in the living room sitting up for six years because my bed is too wet.

"I've had to throw away sideboards and cupboards which I kept my things in so I'm keeping them in bags.

Rae, a former car rental firm supervisor, said she had been left feeling suicidal after the council blamed the damp on leaking radiators.

But she reckons the main water pipe under her house has burst causing her floorboards to rot.

Ref: I’ve been trapped in my home by badgers for 8 YEARS – I slept in my car for a month.. it’s not a life, just an existence (thesun)

Photo Credit: SWNS