By Ethan Evans,Stephanie Balloo

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A hotel chain has issued an apology and a full refund to a guest after he experienced the fright of his life when a ‘rat ran up his leg’ at the start of his stay. Gerard Coleman, who journeyed from Northern Ireland to visit terminally-ill relatives in Birmingham , was shocked to be welcomed by rodents at the entrance of the Ibis Budget hotel. During his four-night stay, which cost over £200, he also claimed he witnessed drug and alcohol misuse, with discarded syringes spotted nearby. Ibis has since reimbursed him for the “inconvenience”, with a spokesperson expressing their sincere apologies for the disturbance. The rat infestation outside the Great Colmore Street hotel was attributed to the ongoing bin strikes, but the hotel emphasised the rodents had not entered the building. Measures have been implemented to address the “temporary issue”, including increased litter patrols and potential removal of surrounding bushes. A representative for Ibis Budget, Birmingham Centre, told BirminghamLive : “The health and safety of our guests and team members is our top priority. “We would like to stress that this was a temporary issue limited to external areas with no reports or issues with pests inside our premises. The issue is linked to the ongoing bin strike, which has unfortunately led to increased activity in areas across the city. “While this issue pertains to external public areas, we have taken prompt action to avoid any further impact on guests, such as increasing litter patrols and actively exploring the removal of surrounding bushes. We sincerely apologise for any disruption caused. “We can confirm we have been in contact with the guest who has been refunded for the inconvenience. We remain committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment and we are doing all we can to address these external challenges.” Mr Coleman’s ‘revolting’ footage shows the vermin scurrying about amongst discarded rubbish directly outside the entrance. He said: “It was the only hotel we could book at the time. “I was absolutely disgusted. We were greeted with a rat running up my leg. I went and reported it to the staff that a rat had attacked me. I saw the rats every day, every night. He continued: “Rats were running in and out of the bags. I was left distressed the whole time I was there, I couldn’t go out past night-time because the first time I arrived, I was going to be attacked by a rat. “I could not leave the premises past the foyer doors at night, and I couldn’t get anything to eat because of the rats. This was my first time, I went to Birmingham because my family members are terminally ill and haven’t got long left – and it was just an invasion of rats.”