McDonald’s in Shirley Road, Southampton has been shut temporarily while ‘pest activity’ is dealt with (Picture: Google)
A McDonald’s restaurant has been forced to close due to a rat infestation.
The fast-food branch in Shirley Road, Southampton was shut temporarily last week after ‘pest activity’ was found on site.
McDonald’s hasn’t confirmed what type of pests, but Portsmouth news site, The News, reported it as rodents.
A McDonald’s spokesperson told the local press: ‘We can confirm our Shirley Road restaurant closed earlier this week following the discovery of pest activity on-site.
‘As a proactive measure, we chose to close the restaurant whilst our partners at Ecolab thoroughly investigate and resolve this issue.”
‘Food safety and hygiene is of the utmost importance to us, and we would like to apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused over the weekend.’
The spokesperson said the branch would re-open this week but did not give a day.
A McDonald’s spokesperson said the branch would reopen this week (Picture: PA)
They added that the restaurant has held a five-star food hygiene rating since 2011, with the most recent visit conducted in January 2024.
One person wrote online they had seen ‘rats the size of dogs’ in Shirley High Street.
In 2021, a McDonald’s in Leytonstone, east London was closed down after a trail of droppings led inspectors to discover the kitchen was infested with mice.
Customers at the High Road branch in Leytonstone were told to leave mid-meal due to the rodents and other hygiene risks.
Council officers found mouse poo throughout the kitchen and a dead mouse in a storage cupboard.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.