'Limited pest activity' still an issue at market

Sheffield's Moor Market will remain closed for the foreseeable future as the council continues to tackle an infestation of cockroaches.

The market has been closed for 10 days and Sheffield City Council had hoped it would reopen today, but it remains temporarily closed. There is no date yet for it to reopen.

The council said there needed to be multiple consecutive days with no pest activity detected before the market could reopen and "we are not yet at that point".

The source of the outbreak has not been disclosed but the council previously said the recent period of "extreme and sustained hot weather" had created conditions that can increase pest activity.

Richard Eyre, director of street scene and regulation, said: "The extensive action being taken over the past week has had a significant impact and pest activity has reduced substantially. However, monitoring has shown that there is still some limited activity present.

"Our priority throughout this incident has been protecting public health and that remains the case. We have been clear from the outset that we will only reopen the market when we are confident the issue has been fully resolved.

"Environmental health officers and specialist pest control contractors are continuing to monitor the market closely."

The council said its own teams, traders and specialist contractors have "worked tirelessly" to carry out an extensive programme of treatment, deep cleaning and monitoring throughout the market.

This has included repeat pest control treatments, longer-term preventative measures, deep cleaning of trading and communal areas, and enhanced monitoring across the building.

Eyre added: "We recognise the ongoing uncertainty this creates for traders, staff and customers, and we would like to thank them for their continued patience and cooperation.

"We will continue this work for as long as necessary and will provide a further update once monitoring results allow us to confirm a reopening date.

"While we appreciate people are keen to see the market reopen, it is vital that we do not act too soon.

"Taking the time to ensure the issue has been fully addressed is the best way to protect public health, maintain confidence and minimise the risk of any recurrence."

The council said it would provide a further update when a reopening date has been approved.

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