Owners of mice-infested Walsall corner shop fined £2,200
A mice-infested grocery shop in Walsall has been fined more than £2,200 after the owners failed to clean up their act - despite being shut down twice in two years.
Mice and mouse droppings on the floor, shelves and table surfaces - which contaminated sweet boxes - were discovered.
Environmental health officers visited Bangla General Store, in Milton Street, during October 2017.
Owners, Maganlal Kikabhai Patel and wife Laxmi Ben Maganlal, appeared before Black Country Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to charges of failing to control pests and keep their premises clean from mouse droppings.
The owners have been prosecuted by Walsall Council and between them fined around £2,220 for operating a food business from premises that were infested with mice.
It comes after the shop shut twice in two years in June 2015 and October 2017 for serious rodent infestations but despite the closure orders from Walsall Environmental Health Officers, the couple failed to make the statutory improvements to protect public health.
Walsall Council's public health chief, Councillor Garry Perry, said: “Mice carry a range of bacteria that if passed to humans through their urine or droppings can cause serious illness.
Substantial
"When businesses do not meet the required standards, robust action will be taken by our environmental heath team. We must prevent the spread of disease and protect public health."
The magistrate told the court that 'food offences are very serious' and the substantial fine reflected this.
The court action was instigated by Walsall Council, and is the third successful food hygiene prosecution this year.
This year also saw the council prosecute one food business owner twice for very serious breaches at his premises ‘Peri Peri One Call Blakenall’ and ‘Pizza Cottage.’
The owner has already served six months in prison and is now awaiting a second judgement in early December for his alleged dangerous disregard for food hygiene laws.
Councillor Perry added: “We are pleased the court has supported this prosecution - resulting in a hefty fine for the store owners. These laws are there for a reason - to protect the public and cannot be ignored.”
“Residents are reminded that they should always check the Food Hygiene Ratings of the businesses from where they buy food. The highest rating is 5, and I’m currently lobbying parliament to make it mandatory for food businesses to show their scores in their shop windows.”
