I VE had a problem with starlings living in my wall outside the window near my bathroom. I had asked Luminus to get rid of them and fill the hole in. They sent someone out a few months ago to have a look but he said he can t remove the birds. Recently I

I'VE had a problem with starlings living in my wall outside the window near my bathroom.

I had asked Luminus to get rid of them and fill the hole in. They sent someone out a few months ago to have a look but he said he can't remove the birds.

Recently I had a bathroom full of bird mites, and I mean full. They were everywhere. So I rang Luminus to see if they could send someone out to get rid of them, but they told me to go to Huntingdonshire District Council, which I did.

However, they told me it was going to cost £50, which I didn't have.

So HDC told me to ask Luminus to see if they would pay for the killing of the bird mites, but they said no and I was left to try to get rid of the mites by myself.

I tried everything I could think of but the bird mites kept coming in from the fan on the bathroom wall.

My father and grandfather came round to try to help me, but with the same results. They couldn't do anything, so my grandfather paid for someone to kill the bird mites.

I wouldn't have minded doing it myself but I have only one bathroom for myself and my children aged six and two. They had to go to the toilet outside in the back garden.

Would you believe that Luminus can kill fleas in your home, but they said bird mites don't fall into that category even though they are bird fleas that bite?

After the guy had sprayed the whole of the bathroom the bird mites started to go - I ended up hoovering up all the dead mites. However, I had to get rid of all my belongings because of the poison, which had to be put everywhere.

So apart from paying £50 and losing my stuff, Luminus have done nothing to help me.

They still haven't been to fill the hole in the wall outside my bathroom window.

I have now asked my grandfather to ask his friend to borrow some ladders so we can fill in the hole ourselves.

ELLEN BROWN

St Ives