Essex mum say home has been damaged by burrowing badgers

Samantha Limacher, 51, says she has reached her wit’s end after attempting to find a solution to the problem at her home in Plumleys, Pitsea.

She claims the issues with nuisance wildlife began three years ago when foxes began digging beneath her property and that badgers have now taken over.

Miss Limacher has resorted to boarding up areas targeted by the badgers (Image: Samantha Limacher)
The damage done to her property by the animals has been so severe that she has now been warned of the possibility of temporary relocation to allow structural work.

Miss Limacher says this news comes after years of complaints about the damage, which she says fell on deaf ears from her housing association, Sanctuary Housing.

“I reported this problem about three years ago and they’ve been round multiple times since and every time have told us it was not a problem,” she said.

The exasperated resident claims it wasn’t until Sanctuary’s most recent visit that she was told the damage was “too much” and would require surveyors and possible underpinning.

The damage done to the property poses safety risks (Image: Samantha Limacher)
Miss Limacher said that the toll of trying and failing to get the issue resolved has had massive impacts on her physical and mental wellbeing.

She said: “I work nights, and I’m coming home to new damage every morning.

“My house has been infested with fleas that my cats catch from the badgers and my daughter will no longer bring the grandkids over.”

The animals are protected under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 (Image: Ben Birchall)
According to the Essex Badger Protection Group, as badgers are a territorial species “it’s not possible for them to be trapped and taken away from urban areas and the solution is therefore to evict them from their setts under licence, forcing them to find somewhere else to live”.

Licenses to evict badgers are typically valid between July 1 and November 31 each year, and Miss Limacher fears that the window to fix the issue may soon close.

A spokesperson for Sanctuary said: “While we understand why this issue is causing our customer concerns, the situation is complex as badgers and their setts are protected by law. 

“We can reassure our customer we are committed to resolving this issue as quickly as we can, while also respecting the legal measures in place to protect the badger population.”