Mice terrorise city police HQ canteen

Published on Thursday 9 February 2012 12:04

Police in the city are used to playing cat and mouse with criminals.

For Lothian and Borders’ finest, however, taking on a horde of rodents in the canteen is beyond their usual remit.

But staff and visitors at the Fettes HQ have been going hungry after an infestation of mice shut down their canteen.

Hot dishes have been suspended at the building since the start of the week as pest controllers move in to try to eradicate the furry terrors.

One canteen user told the Evening News: “It’s funny, but not really embarrassing for us as it’s privately run. They put a message round saying it would be closed for an unknown length of time.

“Apparently, there was initially a problem with the gas.

“It had been closed since the start of the week and will stay closed until they get the mice under control.

“The canteen is used by all staff at headquarters and visitors. It’s quite a big place and well used.”

It is understood staff received an e-mail notifying them that the canteen had been suspended, but the message did not explain why.

Catering provider Sodexo, which is contracted by Lothian and Borders Police to run the canteen, confirmed pest control measures were under way.

A spokeswoman said: “As a precautionary measure, food is not being served in the canteen. Only packaged food such as sandwiches is available.”

In 2009, police chiefs spent nearly £95,000 refurbishing the canteen.

Mice can carry a wide range of diseases, including salmonella and the potentially life-threatening hantavirus, which can be passed on to humans by contaminating food or surfaces with urine, droppings and hairs.

Officers at St Leonard’s police station kept their offices mouse-free with the aid of Tiggy, the police community cat, a ginger tom who was praised for his mouse- detecting skills when he passed away in 2009, at the grand old age of 20.

Fettes HQ is not the first high-profile building in the city to suffer from a mouse infestation. Last year, it emerged pest controllers were being called out to city schools every day to deal with infestations.

Figures revealed mice were the biggest problem in schools across the Capital, closely followed by ants, while wasps also appeared to be a major problem.

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Comments

There are 25 comments to this article

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25

waspy100

Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 09:49 PM

#23 Chuck. You win the pirize. MBPOTD.

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24

waspy100

Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 09:47 PM

#19 I have seen old grannies beating bank robbers and muggers over the head with their handbags and brollies but put a mouse among them you would have thought the world had come to an end. In other words they do indeed terrorise the weaker sex. (not to fond of them myself though)

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23

Charles Linskaill

Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 09:41 PM

The Mice are having a feast, because our police canteen left food lying about, the food needs locked up securely, then the mice will leave being innocent, our police are the guilty ones for keeping an unclean canteen.

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22

Snoopy1

Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 06:58 PM

The police shoud go down to Asda at the Jewel and get Asda cat to sort out there problem for them at there canteen,as Christmas has passed things are quiet,it might be a good idea to have a word with Asda cat (Pixie) to his friends owner,as long as he is brought back home at the end of his shift at the Foqrce HQ,that might help to resolve the problem for the boys in blue. Then Pixie the cat could be called cat in blue,or catbablue.

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21

Tartancult

Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 06:44 PM

I can't believe I actually clicked on this one...

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20

Snoopy1

Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 06:02 PM

Force orders for the day,Get kitted up in your body armour,then kettle the blighters in the canteen kitchen,then tasar them,pepper spray can used if ortherised by the duty sergeant after he has had his morning brew and bacon role,no size 12 will be used as this will dirty marks on kitchen floor,if all else fails,we will call in Gordin Ramsay to orginise a dinner for the City Councilors like Stevie boy Cardownie and Jenny Daw and her bunch meat eaters at £60 a head that the voters Edinburgh will pay for out of there council tax revenues,that should get rid of the problem at the force HQ.

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19

Aristotle

Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 05:23 PM

I would suggest EEN journalists look up the meaning of the word 'terrorise' - mice in the canteen hardly warrant the use of the word - hardly on a par with al-queda, ETA or Bader Meinhoff.

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18

Thomas the Tank

Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 05:14 PM

#14 - Wonder if it was the Sub-Editor's wee daughter who produced this quality photoshop image by cutting out and sticking a nice mousie picture? The same one who produced that other masterpiece of the 'Giant Ferris Wheel' overlooking the Swamp that was once Karen Coren''s Ice-Rink?

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17

Elvis

Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 02:35 PM

quality journalism as ever from EEN! It's more like national enquirer every time I look in!

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16

Rambo the Jambo

Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 02:08 PM

Giant Mouse: -- Excuse me officer, which floor is the canteen on?

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15

reincarnated

Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 01:50 PM

Policemen have been ordered to lie on the canteen floor with cheese in their mouth and wait with baited breath.

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14

freeesian

Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 01:50 PM

the hamster will be powering the new ferris wheel, making it an eek-o friendly world class wheel

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13

A Friend of Fernando Poo

Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 01:32 PM

"I dunno sarge. If it can eat an entire car, I'm betting it's going to be pretty big."

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12

abner doubleday

Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 01:26 PM

#1 Carlo's Clifton takeaway at Haymarket was closed and fined for the same thing. At least he had the excuse of the tram works...

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11

Belle du Jeer

Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 01:08 PM

8 - with a side order of King Prunes!

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