A family business is being forced out of Govanhill after three decades due to a plague of rats.

The 2gether Group has spent 30 years on Daisy Street but bosses claim the pest problem has become out of control.

And they are now hunting for new premises for fear of making their staff ill.

Owner Craig McColligan said he has spent £15,000 in the past four years on pest control but the issue is still rife.

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Mr McColligan said: “This environmental health issue has been going on for some years now but lately it’s become so bad that, as a local business that employs people in the community and spends money in the community, we feel that we have been left with no option but to leave Govanhill after 30 years.

“The rats around here are the size of cats and there’s rubbish strewn around all the surrounding streets.

"The City Council Cleansing department refuse to pick up overflowing bins and so we spend a fortune on pest control - over £15,000 to date - who put down poison to kill the rats.

"But the rats don’t eat the poison because there’s plenty rubbish lying around from the uncollected bins for them to feast on.”

The 2gether Group is a business hub that helps new and established companies grow their businesses.

Mr McColligan says he fears for the health of his 20-strong staff.

One employee was recently receiving treatment for breast cancer and had to take time off due to the risk to her health.

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Business manager Leigh Watson said residents in nearby tenements are throwing rubbish from windows, making the problem worse.

She said: “We’re suffering everyday as a direct consequence.

“There are many decent people living in the local area but many of them have to move away because of the rubbish problem.

"People are fly-tipping and leaving rubbish lying around in the streets for dogs to feast on and whenever the cleansing department do come and clear the street of rubbish, no sooner do they leave than the rubbish starts reappearing.

"It’s a basic right to have your rubbish picked up and not have to dodge rats in the street.

“And this is all going on while we’re attempting to rent out office space to tenants and bring jobs into Govanhill. We’ve already had a tenant, a recruitment agency, who had to relocate because of this problem."

The 2gether Group, which sponsors local football team Third Lanark, owns the building it is based in so any move will come at a loss.

Ms Watson said that in addition to regularly commissioning pest controllers, 2gether Group has recently commissioned a specialist to fumigate its premises and kill off all the flies.

Specialist cleaners were then called in to deep clean the offices before staff were able to return to work.

Ms Watson added: “Whereas a normal office would have a light clean done every night with all bins emptied, we have to bleach every work surface every night to do everything we can to protect the health of our staff.

“One member of staff recently had breast cancer and was going through chemotherapy, so a hygienic workplace was absolutely crucial.

"There were occasions where we had to advise her not to come in to the office for a few days because of the potential risk to her health.”

Mr McColligan said: "We have been here for 30 years and there is a lot of sentimentality attached to being here.

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"I'll miss the community and walking down Allison Street to buy my fruit and veg.

"But we can no longer invite clients to our premises as it would give them a terrible impression.

"This area is so near Hampden that we have hundreds of people from across Scotland coming for events and this mess is the impression we let them take away with them."

A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “We have received a small number of calls from this address in relation to cleansing issues over an extended period of time and in each instance issue has been dealt with.

“However, we will contact the owner at the earliest opportunity to arrange a visit to the premises to identify any further issues.”