A Unite union survey of 1,600 Heathrow Airport workers, published on Sunday 30 August 2026, has found widespread pest infestations and unsanitary conditions in staff facilities, prompting the union to demand an immediate overhaul from airport operator Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL).
According to Unite, more than 250 employees reported seeing mice, rats or cockroaches while on duty, and 16 per cent of respondents said they had encountered pests including bedbugs. Workers described mice droppings found on food plates, in coffee cups and inside personal lockers, and one member of staff reported seeing a mouse drinking from a communal water fountain, GB News reported.
The survey covered workers in security, catering, cleaning, and ground and baggage handling. Unite said 82 per cent of those polled had experienced problems with workplace facilities in the past year, and 61 per cent said staff toilets were not adequately cleaned. Around a third of respondents said poor hygiene had made them unwell, according to the Maidenhead Advertiser, which reported the survey findings on 1 September.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham called the conditions "an utter disgrace" and said Heathrow Airport Limited "can more than afford to bring in meaningful, long overdue changes." Unite regional officer Michelle Braveboy said staff "have been calling for better facilities" for years and that "change is urgently needed."
A Heathrow spokesperson told GB News: "We take the cleanliness of the airport incredibly seriously and have teams working day and night to keep Heathrow clean. While we don