A customer photographed a rat in Sam’s 99p store, in Market Place, on January 18 – but the shop’s management said it “did not belong to the store” and instead “fell from the ceiling”.
The Recorder has seen CCTV footage confirming this: the rodent dropped down from the ceiling at the back of the shop near the doors to the staff-only area just after 3pm.
It narrowly missed falling on a customer, and was spotted by a mum and her daughter around a minute later.
A spokesperson for Sam’s 99p told this paper the rat was only able to fall through a hole in the ceiling because it was “damaged from the leak coming from the floor above”.
Sam’s 99p store sits below The Quadrant Travelodge hotel.
The Sam’s 99p spokesperson claimed the leak “has been a serious issue in our store, which has caused roof tiles to crack and fall many times, which we have replaced several times at our own expense”.
“The issue has never been resolved by Travelodge,” they claimed.
Travelodge said the only leak which has been brought to its attention is one on November 8, which was “immediately addressed and fixed on the same day”.
A spokesperson for the hotel chain said: “We have regular health and safety inspections and no issues have been reported to our landlord.
“Romford The Quadrant Travelodge is part of a multi-tenanted building.”
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Sam’s 99p told the Recorder that it has since had the ceiling area repaired where the rat fell from, and requested another pest visit.
The bargain shop has a contract with Pest UK, who visits its stores on a “regular basis”.
The most recent inspection reports from November 8, 2024, and January 9 confirm that the state of hygiene was “good” and that there were “no signs of pest activity on the shop floor or storeroom”.
Havering Council said that it has not had any reports of rats from Sam’s 99p store in Romford but will “look to make an imminent visit”.
A spokesperson for the council added: “We also urge residents and anyone visiting businesses to report any concerns they have, so any issue can be looked into as soon as possible.”
The Recorder was unable to contact the landlord for comment.
