A dangerous discovery of highly toxic mushrooms has triggered an urgent biohazard incident at an abandoned bingo hall in Bournemouth, requiring specialist emergency cleaning.
Experts from Pro Clean Commercials made the alarming find while inspecting Bournemouth's historic Grand Cinema bingo hall, uncovering a significant growth of Serpula lacrymans - a fungus species notorious for causing destructive dry rot in buildings.
The Unprecedented Discovery
Megan Johnstone, a 23-year-old biohazard cleaning specialist, reported she had never encountered anything like the mould and fungi infestation during her career. "I have never seen anything like it before so it was new to me," Megan stated, explaining that she needed to consult industry colleagues and conduct research to properly identify the unusual fungus.
The mushrooms presented in various sizes with distinctive brown and white colouring. Even experienced professionals and her biohazard training course leader confirmed they had never witnessed such a specimen in their work.
The Emergency Clean-Up Operation
On November 5, Megan and her business partner Jack Tozer were commissioned by the building's management company to conduct an emergency clean-up. Their mission was to make the abandoned hall safe for contractors to begin restoration work.
The removal process involved:
- Using shovels and garden trowels to carefully extract the fungal growth
- Thoroughly scraping all affected areas
- Applying specialised treatments to neutralise remaining hazardous components
- Proper disposal of all contaminated waste materials
Megan identified the likely causes as: a roof leak combined with completely boarded-up windows creating perfect conditions for fungal growth through moisture accumulation and wood rot in the unventilated space.
From Police Aspirations to Biohazard Specialist
Interestingly, Megan originally planned to join the police force but entered the cleaning industry while studying to earn extra money. She now sees parallels between her current role and emergency services work, noting that "I feel like I'm doing my policing career a little bit through the biohazard work."
This marked the first major biohazard cleaning job for her Dorset-based company, which she established nearly five years ago. She described it as "a really good job for us to start off with" that allowed them to apply their specialist training effectively.
Looking forward, Megan aims to expand her business by opening a training academy for biohazard cleaning and taking on larger projects, continuing her mission to help people by creating safe environments in dangerous situations.
