A Perth supermarket has called in pest control to deal with a rat infestation for the second time in six months.
The deli and bakery at Tesco in South Street was closed on Thursday with makeshift signs taped to empty shelves informing customers of “technical issues”.
Senior staff were tight-lipped when asked whether the rats had returned, but a Tesco spokeswoman later confirmed that rodents had again been found at the supermarket.
The Courier understands a cleaner raised the alarm and pest control was called in on Wednesday evening.
The supermarket also called in exterminators in March to tackle a “rodent issue”.
Anthony Notarangelo (51), who runs nearby Holdgate Fish and Chips, said: “The rats are back at Tesco. We use the same pest control company and they were in the supermarket on Wednesday night.
“They came in to see me afterwards and told me to keep an eye out. It’s scary stuff.”
A source at the pest control company, who asked not to be named, said: “One of the cleaners saw a rat last Saturday but there were more than a few adults and babies when we went in on Wednesday, so it could be that they’re breeding in there.”
Claims were made that the store hasn’t done enough to deal with rats, the source saying: “They’re not taking care of it. We deal with the immediate situation but they need other people to deal with the access points which they’re getting through.
“Rats can eat through concrete and they’ve just got back in. They need to put steel plates in, although they’re costly.
“They should also do a deep clean if they want to solve the problem and that’s also very expensive.”
The supermarket remained open on Thursday and shoppers were unaware of the infestation as they filled their trollies.
The Courier contacted Tesco and a spokeswoman confirmed there is a “rodent problem”.
She added: “We have temporarily closed this area of the store while we investigate this issue and we are working to get this resolved as quickly as possible.
“We’d like to apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused by the closure and reassure them that there is no food safety risk.”
Meanwhile, the pest control source added: “I’m worried about the children that go in. They drop their toys, pick them up. They’re scrabbling about on the floor.
“If they picked up a rat dropping and ate it there would be serious ramifications.”
The Courier understands that Tesco does not have a legal duty to inform the council’s environmental health department, but the local authority is now aware of the problem and officers may visit the store.
A spokeswoman for Perth and Kinross Council said: “We are monitoring the situation and will continue to liaise with Tesco.”