A rat dropped from the ceiling at Sam’s 99p store, causing quite a stir among shoppers. The store claims it was due to a leak issue.
Romford: So, picture this. A rat just drops from the ceiling at Sam’s 99p store. Can you believe it? A customer caught the whole thing on camera on January 18. The store’s management quickly said it didn’t belong to them and that it just “fell from the ceiling.”
They even showed some CCTV footage. It’s wild! The little guy dropped down right near the staff-only area, just missing a customer by a hair. A mum and her daughter spotted it shortly after. Talk about a surprise!
The store’s spokesperson explained that the rat got in through a hole in the ceiling caused by a leak from the floor above. Apparently, this leak has been a real headache for them, causing roof tiles to crack and fall multiple times. They’ve had to replace them out of their own pocket.
Sam’s 99p is located right under The Quadrant Travelodge hotel, which is where the leak is supposedly coming from. The store claims they’ve been dealing with this issue for ages, but Travelodge says they only knew about one leak from November 8, which they fixed right away.
Travelodge insists they do regular health and safety checks and haven’t heard any complaints from their landlord. Meanwhile, Sam’s 99p has already repaired the ceiling where the rat fell and has called for another pest inspection.
They’ve got a contract with Pest UK, who checks in regularly. The last inspections showed everything was “good” with no signs of pests. Havering Council mentioned they haven’t received any rat reports from the store but plan to visit soon.
They also encourage anyone with concerns to report them so they can be addressed quickly. It’s a bit of a mess, but hopefully, things will get sorted out soon!
