Many office blocks in London have restaurants and shops on the ground floor which can present additional challenges to FMs if tenants do not take steps to keep their areas hygienic and pest free.
This was the case with an upmarket Italian restaurant in central London. Cleankill was called to deal with a serious fly infestation which was spreading through a void into the toilets and then into the eating areas. They were identified as filter flies – small flies about the size of fruit flies – commonly found at sewage farms which provide the ideal breeding conditions.
Restaurant staff had been spraying the flies with little success. Cleankill technicians knew they needed to find the source of the problem in order to eradicate it. Many ground-floor premises in London that are close to the water table have sump pits where excess water can be drained away. If these areas are not regularly cleaned sludge can build up and provide the perfect breeding ground for filter flies.
Cleankill staff found a moving mass of filter fly larvae in the vault that were ready to hatch into thousands more of the tiny flies. Cleankill recommended that specialist cleaners should be brought in to clean out the vault before any pest control measures were taken.
The vault has been cleaned and the restaurant manager has arranged for it to be cleaned regularly. The fly problem has been eradicated and diners are no longer being put at risk from flies contaminating their food.
The restaurant has also now changed from having an ad hoc arrangement for pest control services to a preventative contract with regular checks. The management now has peace of mind that Cleankill has taken responsibility for the pest control and, by following expert advice, they will pass any environmental health checks with flying colours.