Rats, filth, noise, and smoke. Gas stockpiled under homes. Persistent danger.

Residents are demanding the immediate and permanent closure of Petticoat Lane Food Court and other offending units in the area, citing years of serious health, safety, hygiene, and planning violations that have made daily life intolerable and badly damaged the Wentworth Street Conservation Area. Tower Hamlets Council (LBTH) started this food court in 2009, without consulting residents or considering basic health and safety regulations. It has knowingly and recklessly endangered lives, caused immense suffering, and failed to adequately respond to residents' complaints.

Although this campaign focuses on the food court, issues are not limited to it. The area as a whole is suffering from a lack of regulation and enforcement.

This is a public health, environmental, and heritage disaster. Residents are living in misery.

Key Concerns

• Human faeces, urine, ejaculate, and huge quantities of rodent droppings, in addition to needles and piles of waste. Drains permanently blocked by oil and waste. Mass rubbish dumping.
• Giant rats in food storage and preparation areas and in homes. Wires in vehicles gnawed through. Pest control warning: “The infestation is getting out of control.”
• Lack of running water, handwashing, and even basic hygiene facilities. Necessary infrastructure does not exist.
• Illegal food preparation in storage units and vacant shops. Food kept on the floor.
• Most outlets do not have food hygiene ratings. Some are allowed to operate with failing ratings of 0 and 1. Even those with ratings of 3 do not meet LBTH’s minimum requirement of 4, but no enforcement action is taken. Some display false ratings. This is a public health risk.
• Unbearable smoke and odours. Residents report respiratory issues, running eyes and nose, and overheating.
• Intolerable 24/7 noise. Traders start as early as 4 am, operate well beyond permitted hours, shout, and play loud music. “Flatquakes” day and night when traders move equipment.
• Thousands of kilos of gas stored dangerously and illegally beneath homes. LBTH ignored the risks until residents escalated matters and involved London Fire Brigade.
• Emergency exits blocked by traders’ heavy equipment.
• Unsecured access to residential buildings — anyone can enter at any time. Drug dealing, rough sleeping, and persistent danger.
• Residents foot the huge cleaning bills, in effect, subsidising the food court and cheap lunches for customers, whilst struggling to cover the costs.

Petticoat Lane Food Court is a street food market that was started by LBTH in 2009, with the aim of increasing footfall and regenerating the wider Petticoat Lane area. It was installed directly beneath and adjacent to high-density housing, without consulting residents and without appropriate planning and safety assessments.

It has been an unmitigated disaster. Residents cannot live, work, or sleep, and report significant impacts on their physical and mental health. The food court has become the dominant activity in the area and surrounding shops continue to close down.

Residents have aimed to be empathetic and inclusive, repeatedly seeking compromises to enable traders to continue making a living. This respect and empathy has not been reciprocated. Streets and residential buildings are still used as dumps and toilets, and the smoke and noise are intolerable. LBTH, for its part, ignored years of complaints, health and safety violations, and planning breaches. This is a serious public health hazard.

After years of repeated complaints, not only has LBTH failed to adequately respond, it has continued to promote and expand the food court. LBTH cannot be trusted to enforce reforms, and, in any case, it has become clear that the area is entirely unsuitable. The only viable solution is for the food court and all other offending units to be shut down immediately. Those responsible must be held to account. They must address the harm caused to residents and repair the extensive damage inflicted on historic buildings and streets. Protections must be put in place to ensure that this cannot happen again.

Residents can no longer allow their empathy and generosity of spirit to be abused, whilst paying for the displeasure. No one can reasonably be expected to allow this horror on their doorstep and in their home; food traders and council workers most certainly would not.

Help residents end the nightmare. Give us your support.

#ShutItDown #StopItNow #PetticoatShame #BackOurBlocks

https://sites.google.com/view/savepetticoatlane

Email us: savepetticoatlane@gmail.com

Press Coverage:

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/37298582/london-food-court-infests-homes-super-rats/​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57ZzZXdGInw​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhS7OFjicDY​

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2d142gxdnpo​

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVAzDoCiH-P/​

https://www.facebook.com/BBCLondon/videos/some-residents-living-next-to-a-street-food-market-in-east-london-say-rats-rubbi/27153468190910122/​

https://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/news/25889320.petticoat-lane-food-court-closure-calls-super-rats/​

https://discover.swns.com/2026/03/food-waste-from-london-market-attracting-rats-the-size-of-cats/