Richland County, SC (WLTX) -- In the summer it is easy to let the lawn go a little longer without a mow, but would you let it go for years?
A viewer emailed WLTX saying the lot next to her home has been overgrown for years. She also said it is attracting rats and snakes, putting her and her grandchildren at risk. Now, she is just looking for where to get help.
"Rodents and pest in your house, no," Shawn Addy said. "It's just a lot. It's just sad."
Addy has been living off of Shop Road in Columbia for more than five years and even though there is not a house next door, she has neighbors she never wants to see again.
"I went to the freezer to get a popsicle and the rat was going up the hallway," Addy said. "The kids already told me they saw a rat, I'm just like it's y'all's imagination. I physically saw it that night."
Addy believes the unwanted visitors are coming from the lot next door. She said she has been trying to get the issue with the overgrown grass taken care of for years.
Last year she emailed her council member for help and has made numerous phone calls, but now she said she is at her breaking point because of the infestation of snakes and rats.
"I feel like a prisoner in my house. I don't come outside because it's hot and I can't stay in the house because of what is going on in the house," Addy said.
She said she is fearful for not only her health and safety, but her grandkids. "I just want some help, some relief that we are able to sit outside," Addy said. "It's dangerous, it's not right. It is growing over my mailbox. I don't even know what to say, I'm frustrated."
Addy has also learned that the man who owned the lot is now deceased. She is still wondering who she needs to call to get this taken care of.
"It would mean a lot to me. I love my neighborhood, just for the aesthetic part it would mean a lot to me, but for me to be able to come home," Addy said.
Richland County Sheriff's Department gave us an update. They said they have received complaints on that lot, so they have contacted the current property owner and they have until July 20th to take care of the overgrown law.