Mum woke up in the middle of night to her toddler screaming as a rat viciously attacked him as he slept

Jane Hunter, 34, woke up to bloodcurdling screams coming from her 18-month-old son Rowan at around 4am after the large rodent climbed into his bed and bit him as he slept.

She chased the rat away and rushed Rowan to hospital after finding his bed covered in blood and three nasty bites on his right hand.

The family, who live in a farmhouse in Out Rawcliffe, Lancashire, have seen mice before - but never a rat quite as big as this one.

Mum Jane had spotted the fearless rat before - and even woke up two nights before the attack to find the rodent on her FACE - but struggled to catch it.

Jane, who breeds horses for a living, said: "It was honestly traumatic. Rowan is so young so he's absolutely fine now whilst I've really struggled with it.

"It was horrendous. Rowan didn't seem affected after about 20 minutes, but for days and days, I was an absolute wreck. I couldn't sleep. I'd just sit there watching him all night.

"I'd seen the rat a few times and we'd been doing our best to catch it. It was huge and not at all scared of people - when you walked near it, the rat would run at you rather than away.

"Two nights before the attack, I woke up with it on my face! It was stood on my pillow with one foot on my forehead and I remember feeling the size of it before I jumped out of bed.

"On the night in question, Rowan woke up screaming and the bed was covered in blood. We searched for something sharp in the bed, but then realised it was from the rat we'd been seeing.

"His bed is next to ours, so I think when the rat climbed on me a couple of days before, it was trying to get to him."

Young Rowan was rushed to A&E on on November 16 and treated with a course of antibiotics, but Jane has been left mentally scarred by the attack.

She has since bought a cat called Buttons for protection from future rodents after struggling to sleep after the attack.

Jane said: "We've now got Buttons who sleeps in the bedroom with Rowan as I've developed real issues with letting him sleep alone.

"She sleeps in the bedroom every night and it just makes me feel a bit better as I literally didn't sleep at all for two or three nights after Rowan got bit. I just sat up watching him all night."

Thankfully, the rat is now dead after the family found its lair.

Jane added: "After the attack, we found out the rat was living inside a couch on the landing so we have now managed to capture it.

"We found lots of poo in the couch and two dead mice that it had obviously had as a snack.

"I just couldn't believe that it had happened but after googling it, I've seen rats often go for fingers of little babies and elderly people as they can smell food on them.

"Buttons has been our savior throughout this and now I can sleep again at least. I wasn't particularly scared of rats before, but I am now!"

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