When munching on your favourite bites, the last thing you want to see is pests scurrying around you.
But on Thursday (9 Feb), that’s precisely what diners experienced at People’s Park Food Centre when a small rat emerged and began running around diners’ feet.
According to Shin Min Daily News, people at the food centre said there are often multiple rats on the premises, and some suspect a rat colony is living in the area.
In response, the President of the People’s Park Food Centre Association said they have regular cleanings and pest control checks every two to three months.
On Thursday (9 Feb), a diner at People’s Park Food Centre caught sight of a baby rat and started filming it.
In the video, the little rat was seen scurrying around a man’s feet before dashing across to another table, this time at a woman’s feet.
After about five seconds, the rat climbed onto the lady’s shoelaces.
Feeling that something was amiss, the lady moved her feet, and only then did the rat scurry off.
A stall assistant, Madam Xiao, 60, said every morning at 5am when she opened the stall, she would see three small rats in front of her stall, with several large rats spotted in the distance.
“Usually, they will appear at night when it’s quiet. But those bigger and fatter rats don’t get startled easily. They won’t move if you’re near them, and they’ll walk around slowly,” she said.
Mr Hu, an assistant at another stall, said he has recently seen rats running about when he goes out to smoke.
He spotted two or three giant rats walking near the ceiling from time to time, causing him to worry that their droppings would fall.
Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, a regular patron of the food centre, 70-year-old Madam Zhang said she, too, has seen rats when dining there.
While she understands that it is challenging to handle rat infestations, she hopes the problem can be resolved.
According to Shin Min Daily News, on Friday (10 Feb), authorities visited People’s Park Food Centre for a check.
In response to the rat problem, People’s Park Food Centre Association president Chia Sai Im said they do stringent checks and carry out cleaning works regularly.
Every month, a pest control company will also do checks and exterminations.
In addition, workers thoroughly clean the floor and ceiling of the food centre every two to three months. Vendors would also have to clean their stall premises.
Given the concerns about rat infestation and the old age of the People’s Park Food Centre building, Ms Chia said authorities are planning for a possible refurbishment of the premise, but this has not been confirmed.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and @much.visions on Instagram.
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