Invasion of vermin: the construction boom in Sydney sends rats to restaurants | Australia news

The construction boom in Sydney "breeds rat populations" and pushes them to restaurants, according to council authorities and rat hunters.

Two outlets in the downtown area have voluntarily closed in the last two weeks after the rodent sighting. According to experts, projects such as the new Sydney Light Rail Transit are pushing creatures into the shops.

A pack of five rats was spotted last week in Porto's Portuguese chicken shops on Broadway, and only one big rat was filmed Thursday in the Westfield Sydney store of the Taiwanese meatballs chain Din Tai Fung.

Geoff Milton, a rat catcher in Sydney with 35 years of experience, said infrastructure projects agitate rats.

"Calls in the city have doubled in the last two years," he told Guardian Australia. "All the construction work going on there. Digging roads and knocking down buildings. It's a lot to do with the infrastructure of the city. "

The city of Sydney and the owners of Porto have accepted.

"An unprecedented number of major demolition and major construction works have occurred in the CBD, fueling rat populations and resulting in increased movements of rats," said a spokeswoman for Sydney City. .

The company owning Porto, Craveable Brands, told ABC that "the vermin seemed to have been displaced by an external construction activity in the Broadway area".

Milton, general manager of M & M Pest Control, added that the rats were "incontinent" and posed a health risk.

"The big problem with rats is that they are incontinent. They pee and piss on the run, "he said. "They're not like a dog where they're just going to have a big pee … they drop their urine and their excrement on the run. It could be on food and everything.

"There are many new restaurants opening up, new cafes. They throw all their garbage in the hallway and it's their food. It's easily accessible food. "

Broadway Oporto and Westfield Din Tai Fung voluntarily shut down after rat sightings and claimed that they maintained high standards of hygiene.

On social networks, customers reacted with horror and many comparisons were made with Remy, the protagonist of the 2007 animated film Ratatouille, in which a rat became a leader.

According to a statement from Craveable Brands provided to ABC, the presence of rats was "not related to the sanitation standards of the store" and they had sealed the vent hole to prevent pests from entering.

"The store has undergone a complete process of decontamination and industrial cleaning to ensure that all surfaces are hygienic and safe," he said. "The store will remain closed and clean until the health inspectors and Oporto are convinced that the vermin can not re-enter the Broadway store."

Din Tai Fung said Thursday that she "had immediately activated the services of pest control specialists" to disinfect and clean up the affected restore point.

Both companies also work with health inspectors.

"We are conducting thorough investigations and improving pest control measures for the hours after operations," Din Tai Fung said on his Facebook page. "Food security is of utmost importance to us and we would like to affirm our unwavering commitment to it."

The city of Sydney said it would ensure that both companies meet health standards before they reopen.

"It is the responsibility of the food business and shopping center management to eradicate pests and prevent them from entering food premises," said a spokeswoman. "City environmental health officers regularly inspect sites to ensure that these responsibilities are met. They may also impose fines or order sites to stop serving food if they do not comply.

"Unfortunately, the activity of rats can not be completely eradicated and there will always be public places that require extra bait, especially when food and garbage are thrown by the public."

The City of Sydney installs and monitors rat bait stations in public places and may place additional bait based on the number of complaints.