Pest control called to JDW pub after maggots fall from ceiling

A Kent pub was forced to partially close on Tuesday (22 August) after maggots started to fall from its ceiling.

Pest controllers were called to the JD Wetherspoon pub, the Golden Hope, Sittingbourne, after customers complained to staff about the maggots.

The customer area of the pub was closed off immediately and pest control experts cleaned the area around a smoke alarm where the maggots had been sighted.

A spokesperson for JD Wetherspoon confirmed that the pub had now been able to fully reopen.

Apology issued

The spokesman said: "We can confirm a pest incident at the Golden Hope in Sittingbourne. As soon as the situation became apparent, staff closed off the customer area and informed the pest control services immediately.

"The area has now been completed cleaned and treated, and the area around the smoke detector – where the pests came from – has been checked, cleaned and resealed.

"Following a further visit today, to ensure that the problem is completely cleared, the customer area can fully reopen.

"There were no customers dining in the area at the time, however, we apologise for any inconvenience this incident may have caused."

Food hygiene scares 

Last month, a JDW pub in Gloucestershire was forced to temporarily close its kitchen after maggots were reportedly found in bins nearby the pub.

The Lord High Constable of England pub shut its kitchen for "several days" after the vermin were discovered.

Meanwhile, a Yorkshire pub was ordered to pay more than £1,500 for serious breaches of food hygiene regulations.

Out-of-date and unfit, mouldy food, poor cleanliness and a lack of food safety management system were found at the Bull Inn, Gristhorpe, North Yorkshire, by environmental health officers.