ABC Brickworks Food Centre is facing a growing rodent problem, with stallholders finding rat droppings inside their stalls and struggling to keep their work areas clean.
During a recent visit to Jalan Bukit Merah, Shin Min Daily News observed a steady crowd of diners, mostly office workers from nearby buildings. Several stallholders confirmed that the rat issue has been troubling them for some time.
Mr Chen, 38, who runs the burger stall Kine Burgers, said he moved in around April this year and did not notice anything unusual at first. “I later found more and more droppings, so I suspected it was rats,” he said.
He reported the matter to the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Federation of Merchants’ Associations. Officers were sent down to inspect the area, but the situation did not improve.
“Previously, the CCTV camera was aimed at the stall and did not capture any rats. Later, when the camera was pointed upwards, we discovered rats walking along the beams.”
NEA officers took action on November 16, catching three rats and providing stallholders with temporary relief.
A worker from a vegetarian stall shared that the rodents are mostly active at night. When she arrives at 4:30 am to open the stall, the rats are gone, but the droppings remain. This adds to their daily workload as they must spend extra time cleaning before they can start work.
Madam Hu, 58, who runs a bakery stall, believes the issue may be linked to piled-up clutter and construction debris nearby, which provide hiding spots for rats.
“Since then, the rodent issue has never been completely resolved. My ingredients are covered tightly every day so the rats do not get a chance to nibble on them,” she said.
She added that the Federation of Merchants’ Associations and the town council previously carried out extermination works last year and destroyed a rat nest inside a ventilation pipe, which helped for a while.
“Unfortunately, the rodent problem returned. I heard that the authorities will hold meetings to gather stallholders’ feedback and make improvements during next year’s renovation.”
A fruit stall owner, who did not want to be named, said that he sometimes finds oranges with bite marks when he opens his stall in the morning. For safety reasons, he has to discard them immediately.
