SINGAPORE — The Nee Soon Town Council has reminded all coffee shops in the town to check and maintain their grease-trap covers regularly, after a resident fell through a defective metal cover.

The resident Colin Pereira, 57, said that he fell into a pit, which was about 1m deep, outside a coffee shop at Block 732 Yishun Avenue 5 on Sunday (Dec 27) morning. 

This was after he stepped on a metal lid that gave way. 

That metal lid was covering a grease trap, which captures oil from the coffee shop’s wastewater. The grease trap is "under the maintenance of the coffee shop owner", the town council said.  

Mr Pereira, a part-time deliveryman, said that he pulled his back muscle, and suffered cuts and bruises on his right knee because of the fall.

Passers-by rushed to his aid and placed chairs around the area to prevent others from falling into the hole. 

Mr Pereira called the police. An ambulance also came and paramedics bandaged his knee. 

While he told the paramedics that he did not wish to be taken to the hospital, the pain became too much to bear. 

Later in the day, he went to Mount Elizabeth Hospital for treatment, which cost him about S$600 as he needed an X-ray.

“This time, it was me. But my greater concern is what would happen had a child fallen in,” he said. 

In response to TODAY’s enquiries, Ms Pauline Kwa, a spokesperson for the Nee Soon Town Council, said that a team was dispatched to cordon off the area immediately after the town council was alerted to the matter by a member of the public.

“The town council is in touch with the coffee shop to expedite the repair works and alerted the Housing and Development Board to the incident,” she said.

Ms Kwa added that the town council is in contact with Mr Pereira and understands that the coffee shop is reaching out to him.

“In view of public safety, the town council will be sending out a letter to all coffee shops in Nee Soon town, to remind them to conduct regular checks and maintenance of their grease-trap covers.”

Mr Pereira said that he has also spoken to his Member of Parliament, Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, who told him that the town council would pursue the matter. 

Mr Pereira said, however, that he is displeased with the lack of clarity about the safety processes to ensure metal covers are properly affixed and is planning to take legal action against the town council.