Mouse problem at Wellington Countdown supermarket linked to nearby demolition, warm weather

Mice have infiltrated the supermarket. Photo / File

Nearby demolition and warmer weather has attracted mice to a popular Wellington supermarket.

A Countdown spokesperson told the Herald that due to the weather getting warmer and the construction work near the Newtown location, a "small amount" of mouse activity has been noticed.

"Our Newtown team are aware of this issue and are working with our pest control contractor to put in place additional measures."

They said all stores have strict deep cleaning and stock monitoring protocols in place, but the mouse issue is an isolated one and is not affecting any other Wellington stores.

"Food safety is our utmost priority. With the support of our pest control contractors, we believe we have contained the issue and the team will continue to work with them to put additional measures in place to prevent this from happening in future."

Terry Washington, owner of extermination company The Pest Man told the Herald the nearby demolition means mice will flood the nearest safe place, and the warmer weather means rodents are likely looking for cooler spaces to hide

"It's up to the supermarket to stop them coming in, but once they are coming in it is so, so difficult to stop."

He said rats and mice are "survivors" and mice especially can be pervasive.

"Rats don't like anything new, they're much more likely to try and hide and stay away. Mice do not care; they will go anywhere. They have no control over their bladder so they just wee all over everything as a scent marker to let their families know where they've been."

He reiterated Countdown's point that all supermarkets have pest control in place – but said rodents can be a hard case to crack.

"The way they breed is just incredible – and they are such survivors. They can tread water for three days, and last longer without water than a camel."