Rat poo ends up in ABC Brickworks stalls overnight, hawkers lament extra cleanup effort needed before opening

Roaming under the cover of night, rats have been causing a mess at some hawker stalls at ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre in Redhill.

They have been seen travelling along metal beams above the food centre, and their excrement has ended up in the stalls below.

Affected hawkers lament the extra effort needed to clean up their stalls at the start of each day.

One hawker has resorted to covering the interior of his stall with a tarp when he closes for the day.

Although rats have occasionally been seen at the hawker centre, they might have become more pervasive lately.

Extra work to clean up before opening

Speaking to Mothership, Ray, 37, who operates the burger hawker stall, Kine, shared that he first saw "black stuff" inside his stall about two to three months ago, at the start of the day.

He later found out that they were rat droppings.

Ray aimed his CCTV on the metal beams above his stall and discovered their source.

In the early hours of the morning, several rats could be seen scurrying about.

"It requires an extra 30 minutes to one hour for me to clean up thoroughly every day as I want to make sure my table tops, bowls, basin, and griddle are clean," Ray said.

This is no easy feat as he currently operates as a one-man show on most days, with only a part-timer to help on Sundays.

The 37-year-old now uses a tarp to cover the items and equipment in his stall at the close of each day to reduce the cleanup required.

When Mothership visited the stall on Nov. 18, some rat droppings could be seen.

Management has stepped in to help

So far, the rats have not intruded into the stall itself, Ray said.

Ray pointed out that he was not alone in his fight against the pesky creatures as the authorities and management are actively working to come up with solutions.

He shared that the management has called in pest control after receiving feedback about the matter.

While the situation did get better afterwards, there seems to be a resurgence of late, according to the hawker.

Mothership understands that the Tanjong Pagar Town Council will be making weekly attempts to trap rats, and their attempt last week resulted in three rats caught.

Ray has also suggested to ABC Brickwork's management for spikes to be added along the overhead metal beams and support columns to prevent the rodents from using them as walkways.

The management expressed that they will take that into consideration the next time the market and food centre undergoes renovation and redecoration, he said.

Not all hawkers affected

Fellow hawkers at ABC Brickworks expressed mixed sentiments about the rat droppings.

While some were concerned, others said it wasn't an issue.

An elderly hawker, who runs a popiah stall right behind Ray's, shares in the woes.

He told Mothership that he has also been dealing with rat excrement ending up in his stall's premises.

Similarly, his stall assistant has had to spend time cleaning up the stall at the start of each day.

Having operated his stall at the food centre for 18 years, he shared that there was supposedly "never an absence" of rats, but sightings have become increasingly common.

Hawkers in other clusters near the back and side of the market said that rats wasn't an issue at their location.

One hawker, whose stall is located at the outskirt of the food centre, said that the rodent issue was more pervasive near the middle of the food centre.

Another hawker, who sold soups and steamed delicacies near the middle of the centre, shared that he hasn't seen the rats so far.

He also explained that storing produce in containers might not be the most effective solution as the rats are known to gnaw through containers.

Ray also shared that not all hawkers were willing to talk about the issue, for fear that it might affect their business.

No rats were seen when Mothership visited ABC Brickworks on Nov. 18 afternoon.

Market vendor sets own traps

It's not just the food vendors who have had to deal with the scurrying rodents.

Located at the back of the market was a vegetable stand, whose elderly vendors told Mothership that the rats have been here for as long as they can remember.

They have operated the vegetable stand for almost 20 years and shared that rats have been a dizzying issue to grapple with.

The rodents could be spotted running around each morning, the vendors said, pointing to the nearby bin centre.

When asked if they hoped for anything to be done, they opined that they weren't optimistic about their efficacy.

"Where there are people, there are rats," one of the vendors bemoaned in resignation.

However, they have prepared their own rat traps in attempts to curb the rodents.

Food remnants left overnight became attractants: Town Council

Responding to queries from Mothership, a Tanjong Pagar Town Council spokesperson explained that recent checks at ABC Brickworks found that some food remnants had been left exposed overnight.

That created easy food sources that likely contributed to rat sightings above several stalls.

Since November 2025, the town council has stepped up a comprehensive rat-control programme covering both the food centre and nearby residential blocks, with night culling operations continuing, the spokesperson shared.

The town council spokesperson said it was working closely with the National Environment Agency and the Hawkers' Association to reinforce hygiene and housekeeping standards and have requested stronger enforcement support from the Singapore Food Authority.

"We seek the continued cooperation of all stallholders and residents to keep the food centre and surrounding areas clean and free of food waste, so that pest activity can be effectively reduced," the spokesperson said.

Top image via Ray