Rat infestation plagues ABC Brickworks Food Centre, rodents eat food & leave droppings in stalls

Vendors complain about rat problem at ABC Brickworks Food Centre, rodents spotted on overhead beams

Vendors at ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre say they’ve been battling an increasingly troublesome rat problem in their stalls.

According to the occupants, the pests would allegedly eat their food, leaving droppings across their stalls and increasing the cleaning workload of the staff.

Rats seen scurrying on overhead beams at ABC Brickworks Food Centre

According to Shin Min Daily News, a vegetarian stall vendor at the centre said the rats mainly come out at night.

By the time she opens her stall at 4.30am, the rodents would have disappeared, leaving only their droppings behind.

Mr Chen, owner of the burger stall Kine, explained that he moved into ABC Brickworks Food Centre in April this year. For the first two to three months of operation, there was no issue.

He then began to find more and more rodent droppings, which led him to suspect that a rat problem had arisen.

Aiming his CCTV upwards, Mr Chen discovered that the rats were scurrying about on the overhead beams in the early morning.

Another vendor, Ms Hu (name transliterated), claimed that she had to store all her food and ingredients securely every day to prevent rats from eating them.

A fruit stall owner didn’t have as much luck. When opening his shop in the morning, he would find signs that rats had taken bites out of some of the oranges in his stall.

Due to hygiene reasons, he had to dispose of those fruits.

NEA and vendors catch rats in traps

On 16 Nov, National Environmental Agency (NEA) personnel successfully caught three rats, temporarily improving the situation.

Others took ratcatching into their own hands. Mr Cai, owner of a vegetable stall, claimed he caught a rat every two days, with some measuring up to 15cm long.

He placed several cages near his stall and had allegedly been doing so for years.

Another stall owner in ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre also set up traps in his stall.

“I haven’t been able to catch a rat in a long time. Maybe they’ve become smarter,” he joked.

Tanjong Pagar Town Council says food scraps left overnight attract rats

Tanjong Pagar Town Council (TPTC) stated that their inspections found food scraps left overnight at the ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre, which attracted rats.

According to Shin Min, the TPTC has strengthened its rat control programme at the food centre and surrounding HDB blocks since early November.

They sought the cooperation of vendors and residents in maintaining the cleanliness of the area and removing food waste.

Additionally, TPTC is currently working with NEA and the Hawkers’ Association to reinforce hygiene standards, alongside requesting enforcement support from the Singapore Food Authority.

Also read: ‘Catch a rat, get cash’: Clementi hawker centre rewards vendors for tackling rodent problem

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Featured image adapted from Mr Chen via Shin Min Daily News and vincent lim on Google Maps.