A video clip posted on social media that showed many rats running around a bakery in Sha Tin in the New Territories on Monday has gone viral.
A netizen named Joey said he saw a horrible scene at about 3am when he passed by a bakery at Wah Fung House in Lek Yuen Estate in Sha Tin – about 30 rats running around in the bakery, according to a post on the Facebook page named ‘Sha Tin Locals’.
The one-minute video showed the rats scampering on the floor and climbing on racks with loaves of bread, most of them wrapped in plastic.
Lights were on in the bakery and Joey guessed the loaves of bread were due to be sent to local eateries or cha chaan tengs. He worried that the bread had been contaminated and people, especially children and the elderly, could easily get sick if they eat it.
The shop owner surnamed Chan was shocked after learning about the incident from friends, Ming Pao Daily reported.
Chan said the bakery had hired a company for pest control in recent years, and it was meant to do that at least two times a week. The last visit to control pests such as rats allegedly took place on February 9.
Chan suspected that as the bakery was closed during the Chinese New Year holidays – and the rats took the chance to sneak into the bakery.
Chan apologized to the public, saying the bakery would do further pest control work soon.
Some netizens who said they live in the same public housing estate said the number of rodents had increased over the past few years and they could be found in many parts of the estate.