Walsall bakery ordered to pay £5,000 over mouse droppings
A Walsall bakery which showed a 'disregard for public safety' and was temporarily closed down after mouse droppings were found on site has been ordered to pay more than £5,000.
Polish bakery Mazowsze, on Bloxwich Lane Industrial Estate, Walsall, was ordered to close its doors last February after mouse faeces were found throughout the premises.
As well as finding faeces on floors, pallets and racking, an environmental health inspection revealed a failure to protect food against contamination which was likely to render the food unfit for human consumption.
The company pleaded guilty to two offences and was subsequently fined £2,500 for failure to keep the premises clean, £2,000 for failure to protect food from contamination and also ordered to pay £1,258.74 costs, with a victim surcharge of £20.
David Elrington, environmental health manager, said: "This kind of disregard for public safety will not be tolerated and the safety of our residents is paramount, as mice spread diseases such as salmonella and their faeces can contaminate food products thereby placing the public's health at risk."
Mazowsze started in 2006 and a description of the company on its website reads: "Listening to the expectations of our customers, we strive to meet their expectations in terms of both taste and health. They say that the warehouse can say a lot about bakery itself, so adhering to our motto naturally healthy, we offer bread manufactured according to traditional recipes and only with natural ingredients."
No-one from the bakery was available for comment.
The bakery is the latest in a string of establishments across the borough to be hit with fines or warnings over health and safety issues.
More than 15,000 concerns have been raised about environmental health issues with Walsall Council over the last two years, ranging from infestations and unsafe food to diseases, dangerous work practices and noise nuisance.
