RESIDENTS say their neighbourhood is being overrun by feral cats.

They say dozens of feral cats are roaming around land behind council flats at Queen Elizabeth Gardens, Springwood.

Now housing officials are to investigate the concerns.

Mrs Eugenia Cyrus, who lives in one of the flats, said the problem was being made worse by a tenant.

Mrs Cyrus, who has lived in the flat for more than 20 years, said she thought the man was from Iraq and said he left his back door open “24/7” to allow the cats in and out.

Cats and kittens could also be seen hiding under a hedge in the back garden of the premises.

She said: “The police went in once and the smell was so bad people thought there might be a body in there.

“They’re just all over. I’ve got a couple of cats and I leave an upstairs window open for them to get in and out.

“Now they’re all are getting in and stealing their food.

“There’s all the strays coming round fighting, it’s disgusting.

“He really needs to stop them breeding, it needs sorting out because it’s just an infestation of cats around here – it is a problem.”

Mrs Cyrus said she had complained to the RSPCA but had been told it was a Kirklees Council problem.

Another woman, who rescued a kitten trapped in a bin, said she was shocked nothing had been done about the number of cats roaming the area.

She said: “We heard squealing coming from a bin and I looked in and there was a kitten in it.

“So I’ve taken it out of the bin and I’m going to look after it.

“But there are pregnant cats and kittens galore round here.