The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department found clear and severe signs of rat infestation inside a Kwun Tong industrial building and issued 15 notices to those responsible for the building and its premises.
The department said it had seen footage of rats around rubbish bins at the building on Shing Yip Street on Nov. 4. It sent a night team to carry out extermination work and stepped up rodent-control efforts in nearby public areas. Inspectors returned the next day and widened their checks to other high-risk areas in the building and nearby food premises.
The notices require the responsible parties to eliminate the infestation by a specified deadline. The department said this includes targeted extermination where rats are active, proper waste handling, sealing rat holes and removing places where rats can hide.
Department records show it received one complaint about the building in the previous year; staff inspected the site and gave those responsible guidance on rat prevention and extermination. The department said it may consider prosecution if the current notices are not complied with.