This is the shocking moment a large rat spotted in a communal bin jumped at a man who was filming it outside his home in north-east London.
Vincent Stewart, who lives in Walthamstow, recorded the footage on his phone on Monday afternoon.
He said he was “absolutely stunned” by the creature’s behaviour, adding he's "never seen them do things like that before."
The 45-year-old told the Standard: “I was walking back from my car and heard a rustling.
“I thought it was a fox so I got out my phone, but I looked down and saw it was a rat.
“I was absolutely stunned when it looked up, saw me, assessed my distance and lunged at me, jumped in my direction.
“It shows that it has no fear for human beings.
“I was taken aback by the fearlessness of it with a human being. I have never seen them do things like that before.”
Mr Stewart says his experience with the rat was just one incident in an escalating problem of vermin infestation at Chalmers House, the block of flats where he lives.
He added that despite desperate complaints about mice and rats to his housing association, East Thames, nothing has been done.
He said: “This is getting to a really nasty point. I’ll be lying in bed and I fear I might be bitten or something.
“When I am in my sitting room they will come to my seat.
“It is not localised to my flat, I hear of other tenants who are affected.
“It is a common problem in the building.”
A spokesman for East Thames Housing Association said: “We are sorry to hear that Mr Stewart has been experiencing problems with vermin in his home.
“We haven’t received any previous reports of this problem in the block from Mr Stewart or his neighbours.
“Now that we have been made aware, we will inspect the block as soon as possible and engage pest controllers if necessary.”
