'The city is full of mice': Rodent invasion plagues Portsmouth businesses with more than 80 temporary closures in the past five years

Since the start of this year, Portsmouth City Council has revealed multiple businesses have had to temporarily close after being issued Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notices, following the discovery of “active” mouse infestations that pose serious risk to public health.

Prohibition orders, which are issued by environmental health officers, force establishments to stop operating immediately until the infestation is eliminated, hygiene standards have been improved and any structural defects have been resolved.

James Shore, managing director of NJS Pest Control, has worked in the industry for eight years and said he has witnessed a major increase in the number of jobs he attends involving mice across the city.

The 25-year-old said: “There has definitely been an increase. The problem with Portsmouth is that it’s full of mice and it’s always been full of mice. It’s particularly bad at the moment - usually it’s because of the weather but there are a lot of different reasons for it. It is sometimes housekeeping because if they don’t have a food source, they won’t want to stay.

“Places that fry food - mice will eat the oil so the whole place is a food source. There is a big increase but it happens every couple of years. There is a big big increase with mice and rats. I work for a lot of businesses in the area that are very, very clean but have had mice because it is sometimes just inevitable. It’s all about how it’s dealt with. We get a lot of kebab shops and corner shops that don’t have the budget to deal with the problem so it gets worse and worse until it’s a much bigger problem.

“About a year ago, I was doing four or five jobs a week in Portsmouth but now it’s ten jobs a day. It’s really bad at the moment but I’m sure it will plateau.”

This year, environment health officers have already temporarily closed down numerous businesses including The Monarch in Palmerston Road, Kens Fried Chicken in Commercial Road, Yuan Siu in St James’s Road and Premier Express Nice 'n' Fresh in Victoria Road North - highlighting a substantial rodent problem in the city.

As a result of the closure orders, the affected businesses are now implementing thorough pest control procedures with The Monarch saying mice activity is “a constant issue Portsmouth business owners face.”

Following the inspection at Ken’s Fried Chicken at the end of February, which exposed an active mouse infestation with droppings found on shelves, worktops and cooling racks, the site is undergoing an extensive refurbishment to ensure the “highest standard” of health and safety.

A notice at the shop said: “We are working closely with professional Food Hygiene Audit and Training Services, updating our food hygiene management system and ensuring compliance with local environmental standards.”

Councillor Lee Hunt said: “It is very important that the public have confidence around eating out and purchasing foods. Here at Portsmouth City Council our Environmental Health and Trading Standards teams and others work cross-services to educate and enforce safety and standards.

“It is tempting for businesses to cut corners in the face of a harsh trading environment. My advice is keep standards up and thrive. Our council teams are working hard to improve the number of inspections and won’t hesitate to shut premises where public health is at risk.”

Earlier this month, The News submitted a freedom of information request which revealed a considerable jump in the number of venues ordered to close due to mouse infestations over the past five years.

In 2020, four establishments were temporarily shut down by the council while 2025 saw 23 venues impacted, marking a 475 per cent increase.

The closures are as follows:

2020:

• Roko Portsmouth
• Play Football Ltd
• Kashmir Restaurant
• Eastern Stores

2021:

• Istanbul Restaurant
• Taco MX
• Star Of Asia

2022:

• Dessert Amigo
• Curry Leaf
• Combo Asia Food Ltd
• Hellenic Aroma
• The Roberts Centre
• Kebabish Alpha
• Amazing Chinese
• Outside In Food court
• Canoe Lake
• Cafe Greenfield
• Butchers
• St Swithuns Primary School Kitchen
• South Parade Pier
• Shalimar Takeaway
• Adams Foods
• The Beach Club
• Pompey Stand up
• Deep Blue Restaurant

2023:

• Prachee
• The Country Pantry Ltd
• Brasserie Blanc
• The Fish King
• Indian Cottage
• Southsea Model Village
• Justasia
• Guru Express
• The Cod Squad
• The New Taj Mahal
• White & Sons
• Toyosi Kitchen Limited
• Algarve's Grill
• Exploria Café
• Otaku
• The Laughter's Kitchen
• Royal Palki
• Co-op Southsea- Albert Road
• Bombay Express Balti House
• The Grill Kitchen

2024:

• Tseng Meng Niu
• Taiwanese Beef Noodle
• Curry Leaf
• B&M Stores
• Premier Store
• Eastern Stores
• Café Nero
• Ni Hao
• Eastney Garden
• Kwiki Mart Fratton
• The Beacon Southsea
• Southsea Brunch Club
• Northend Kebab
• Fortune House
• East African Restaurant

2025

• Best Food and Wine
• Good Fortune
• Daddy's Kitchen
• Anglo Bangla
• The Cornish Bakery
• Viet Quan
• Maeme's
• Shake's and Pizza
• His Glory Food Store
• Agora Restaurant
• Cheeky Chicken
• Green Posts
• Need Street Food
• The Merchant House
• Premier Eastney
• Pompey Kebab
• Smart Shop
• La Pomodoro Pizza
• Clock Café Buckland UFC.
• Pie Caramba!
• West Grill
• Chiquito
• Oriental Pearl

Rentokil, a national pest control company in the UK, revealed rats and mice accounted for almost half of all pest activity last year, with wasps, bed bugs and fleas completing the top five.

Residential properties across the city have also been struck by the mouse invasion, with James saying the density of Portsmouth is a contributing factor to the increasing problem.

“Portsmouth is so dense, if you go to Southampton there are rats everywhere because it’s more spread out but Portsmouth is so compact that mice thrive”, Mr Shore explained.

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He continued: “Mice also build up a tolerance. Twenty years ago, you could go out and get rodenticide from the shop but genetic resistance means you are now essentially feeding them as they have built up a tolerance so it’s about treating the problem properly.”

Data from Direct Line has also uncovered councils across the country responded to a staggering 291,132 pest infested homes in 2024 - the equivalent to one visit every two minutes.

Niall Gallagher, technical and compliance manager at British Pest Control Association, said: “The statistics show a significant uptick in callouts, so it is increasingly important for residents to consider calling a professional at the first sign of pest activity.

“Rats and mice are a public health concern and have rapid breeding cycles, which means an infestation can quickly escalate.”