Officials at the Emirates Stadium have had to "deal with a mice infestation," according to Mike Keegan of the London DAILY MAIL. The alert was "triggered" when council hygiene inspectors last paid a visit to Arsenal’s home and unearthed "extensive evidence of mouse activity" across "all four levels of the stadium." Officers "found mouse droppings in a variety of places including under and behind ovens, under pipework in pot wash areas and under shelving units." They discovered that many staff "were oblivious to the issue" and inspectors had to "bring out torches to highlight the problem to them." The club said that it is "confident" it has dealt with the issue after "implementing a series of measures to tackle it." A council report disclosed that droppings were found in The Diamond Club Kitchen, Cox Kitch 7, The Woolwich Bar and elsewhere. It added that there were "pest proofing issues" in several areas that were inspected and, in a "damning verdict," added that inspectors are "confident that they would also be present in areas not examined." The document also criticized the club and the stadium management company for not communicating with each other properly over the issue, something it branded "disappointing" (DAILY MAIL, 12/19).
