Residents say their Prospect Heights neighborhood has been overwhelmingly taken over by large rats.

Carol Morrison started the Prospect Heights Rat Task Force last summer to gather her community in hopes of combating the rampant rodents. The group has been working with the Department of Health, who had baited traps installed.

"This block is run by the rats,” says Morrison. “The rats are a definite part of our community, and that is unacceptable."

A spokesperson for the Health Department also says crews completed more than 380 inspections and 260 exterminations in the area since January 2019. Neighbors say they work to make sure their trash is tidy. However, residents say the community’s efforts haven’t been enough to keep the rodents at bay.

Morrison says the issue stems from a combo of construction, landlord negligence and city trash issues. She says she'll be attending the rodent inter-agency task force meeting on Feb. 27 at Grand Army Plaza.

As for concerns about trash in the neighborhood contributing to the rat problem, a spokesperson for the Department of Sanitation says inspectors found some people weren't moving their cars on street cleaning days, hampering efforts to sweep the streets. They say they issued summonses and will continue to monitor the situation.