Rats behind Drapery causing ‘real problem’ for Sam’s Chicken staff

Sam’s Chicken staff are too scared to take the bins out at night due to the pest issue that they have been experiencing for months.

The takeaway in Drapery, which has a five star food hygiene rating, employs a private pest control company to deal with the property.

Peter Frost, who runs this company, says ‘there is nothing wrong with the inside’, but he is concerned about the rat problem behind Sam’s Chicken, between Drapery and College Street car park.

Manager of the takeaway Muhammed Yousef said: “It’s a real problem.

“Rats are coming out the bins and going everywhere, in the cars, around the cars.

“Everyone is scared, no one will go out there at night to take the bins.

“The environmental health officer has come here three or four times and said the inside is perfectly fine, but the outside is in a bad condition.”

Mr Yousef claims his business is not responsible for the part of land where the issue is.

Mr Frost, who has been in the pest control business for 30 years, added: “I am annoyed because I have been trying to do my job properly.

“This company employed me two years ago when they ripped the place out and built it all new.

“It is a five star premises. There is nothing wrong with the inside.

“At the back of the premises there is a car park with broken glass and rubbish gets dumped there too.”

Mr Frost claims the drains at the back of the property ‘must be broken’ as the ‘mounds keep reappearing’.

Mr Frost added: “The rat holes are about 10 foot away from the back doors of the premises.

“The rats are living underneath the mounds near the rubbish.”

Mr Frost also claims that he reported the issue to the council a year ago.

But in the last two to three months the pest controller says the problem is worse.

“It’s terrible,” he added.

“I can only do so much and I’m at a brick wall.”

A Northampton Borough Council spokesman said: “Environmental Health is aware of this issue and is investigating it.”