Mini-supermarket was forced to close over rodent infestation

A mini-supermarket in West Hill was forced to shut its doors after the council’s food safety team found it to be riddled with rodents.

The Londis convenience store in Montfort Place was subject to an emergency closure after an inspection sparked fears of an immediate risk to human health.

The inspectors found the shop and its storage shelves areas full of mouse droppings.

Packets of food on sale at the shop had been gnawed and chewed at by mice – with some packaging smeared in mouse urine. Seven dead mice were found underneath shelves where food was being displayed.

As a consequence the shop was shut down with immediate effect after the owners were served with a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice, which was later endorsed in a hearing at Wimbledon Magistrates Court.

Magistrates heard that mice carry a range of serious illnesses transmissible to humans including food poisoning bacteria such as Salmonella and E.coli and other diseases like Leptospirosis and Weils Disease.

The business was not allowed to reopen until it had undergone a deep and thorough clean and steps had been taken to eradicate the mouse infestation.

In a subsequent court hearing, the shop’s owner Harsha Patel pleaded guilty to four food safety and hygiene offences and was ordered to pay a total of £4,484 in fines and legal costs – which the court said must be paid at the rate of £400 a month.

Cabinet Member for Environment Judi Gasser said: “The conditions found by the food inspectors were clearly unacceptable and immediate action had to be taken to safeguard public health.

“It is absolutely vital that the owners and managers of food businesses uphold the highest standards of hygiene and cleanliness and take immediate steps to deal with issues that could endanger public safety.

“Proprietors who ignore safety breaches and allow their premises to become dirty or pest-ridden have only themselves to blame for having their business shut down and for attracting the negative publicity that inevitably follows.”