Homeowners in Bedford-Stuyvesant say they are dealing with a rat infestation and are demanding help from the city.

Residents along Jefferson Avenue say there are rats everywhere.

One resident recently received a $300 fine for rat droppings and burrows in front of her home. She says she tried to rectify the problem with exterminators and other remedies.

"We fill it and then in a few days, it's right back," she told News 12.

Tiffany Joy Murchison, who has lived on the block for nearly 15 years, says the issue has only got worse over the years. She says the city's Department of Sanitation is to blame for not keeping the streets clean. She believes the rats are coming from the construction site down the street.

An official with the Department of Sanitation says they've replaced wire public litter bins with rodent-resistant steel cans in areas of the neighborhood, as well as increased litter basket service to at least once a day.

They also say they have issued four summonses to 1202 Bedford Ave. for failure to clean 18 inches into the street and will continue to monitor the area for compliance. It says the property failed an initial inspection in October for conditions conducive to rat activity and two other inspections since then.