Since news broke of the reopening of an eatery that was previously closed due to rats being found on the premises, people have been airing their grievances on social media. 

ZAIKA The Paan Shop on Oxford Road, Reading, re-opened safely at the end of last month September 2024 following an emergency closure by Council Environmental Health officers.

It followed a member of the public reporting extensive rat activity at the premises.

Under the previous article's Facebook post, dozens of people commented to express their disgust at the state of the restaurant. 

One commenter wrote "Hope they weren't planning on cooking them," with another responding "Hope they get regular visits from the FSA now, never know how people let their premises get like this, absolutely vile, shouldn’t be allowed to reopen."

A further person wrote, "That’s disgusting."

However, some people did say that they weren't surprised regarding the rat activity, and believe many restaurants in the area to be in the same condition. 

One person said "Most shops in Reading town centre have a rat issue. The Oxford Road is just another area like others where the bins etc don't get emptied enough.

Another commenter said "Most of the shops down Oxford Road are plagued with rats. Have you seen the state of most of the rear of these properties?"

A further person said "Can't believe even the rats would wanna dine from a food establishment on the Oxford road, let alone any sane human."

Two food safety officers visited the west Reading eatery in August after receiving an email from a concerned member of the public.

Officers found rat droppings in every corner of the front kitchen, as well as in the dry storage room.

Rats’ nests with chips, chicken bones, and other food waste were found in three fridges, along with blood stains, and several expired and unlabelled food products. The employee handwashing basin also showed no signs of recent use.

A pest control expert estimated rodent activity and droppings dated back almost a year.

While some rat holes were sealed in July 2024 by pest control technicians, the rat activity was not dealt with, and no cleaning was carried out at the premises as instructed.

Following the inspection last month, officers issued a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice (HEPN), formally closing the premises the same day.

They immediately liaised with Reading’s Legal Services to begin the court process for the Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Order (HEPO) under The Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013.

At a hearing at Reading Magistrates Court on Friday, September 6 the order was granted, and full enforcement costs of £3,660 were awarded to the Council.

Following the hearing, officers made two re-visits to the restaurant, working closely with the owners to ensure all pest activities were cleared, and that the entire premises were cleaned and disinfected.

The second found the business to be spotlessly clean, with all pest-proofing works carried out. A certificate of satisfaction was issued, and the closure order was lifted.