The owner of a Liverpool c-store has been fined over £13,000 after inspectors discovered a severe rodent infestation, with more than 50 mice caught during its enforced closure.
Best In Late Shop on Atwell Street was taken to court after Environmental Health officers found what they described as “horrific food-hygiene breaches”.
Inspectors found mouse droppings on food displays and gnawed crisps and chocolates on sale to customers, displaying “clear and concerning signs of inadequate pest control”, reported Liverpool City Council.
A dead mouse was also found beneath a freezer, said the council. The store was awarded the lowest food hygiene rating of zero.
The action followed a complaint about a mouse sighting, but what inspectors really found was an “infestation of rodents”, the council said.
Conditions were “so unhygienic” that the shop was immediately shut down in October 2024 because it presented an “imminent risk to health”. During its closure, the business caught over 55 mice.
The council took Freshone Ltd. to Liverpool Magistrates Court last week (27 November) for five breaches of food safety and hygiene regulations.
Following a guilty plea, Freshone Ltd. was fined £5,334, plus a victim surcharge of £2,000 and costs of £5,694.55 awarded to the council, a total fine of £13,028.55.
Best In Late Shop was allowed to reopen following a second inspection, which saw “significant improvements”, reported the council. In May this year, it was inspected once again and awarded a food hygiene rating of five.
Councillor Harry Doyle of Liverpool City Council said the conditions in Best In Late Shop when Environmental Health officers visited were “truly horrific”.
“We take food hygiene and safety extremely seriously and this goes to show that we will take definitive action if a business fails to meet its legal requirements,” said Doyle.
“What is pleasing to see is that the business has owned up to its mistakes and has used our recommendations to fully turn things around, which is ultimately what we would want to see happen.
“Of course, we shouldn’t see something like this happen in the first place, which is why businesses should be closely following hygiene guidelines at all times.”
No comments yet