David Lloyd health club fined £13,000 after mouse droppings discovered in kitchen
A north London health club has been hit with a £13,000 bill after mouse droppings were discovered in the centre’s kitchen.
David Lloyd Leisure in Carterhatch Lane, Enfield, pleaded guilty at Enfield Magistrates’ Court to serious food safety failings.
Enfield Council’s food safety team immediately closed the kitchen in December 2014 after a number of serious hygiene breaches were found by inspectors on a routine visit.
The court heard mouse droppings were found in food storage and preparation areas, behind fridges and freezers, under shelves and in the staff office.
Inspectors also noted a build up of dirt in the kitchen caused by poor cleaning and damaged equipment, which could have led to food contamination.
The kitchen has since been allowed to reopen by the council after a thorough clean of the premises while the mouse infestation was eradicated.
On Thursday, February 4, the owners of David Lloyd Leisure were fined £11,652.40 and ordered to pay £1,652.40 in costs.
Enfield Council’s cabinet member for environment, Cllr Daniel Anderson, said: “It is completely unacceptable for places which sell food to endanger the health of customers by failing to take proper precautions against pests and operating unhygienic premises.
“I am pleased that swift action was taken and the business has now cleaned up its act. Enfield Council does not tolerate businesses that cannot or will not comply with the law.
“We also take a dim view of those which fail to deal with pest problems or who do not keep their kitchens clean and we will continue to close down dirty or unhygienic food premises that endanger the health of our residents.”
A David Lloyd spokeswoman said: “We take health and hygiene standards at our clubs very seriously and were very concerned to hear about the findings when the inspection took place in 2014. As a result we immediately and voluntarily closed the kitchen and overnight took measures to fully rectify the situation.
“Following a re-inspection by the council the kitchen reopened the next day. The individuals concerned are no longer with the business, at no point have we challenged the council’s findings and have worked closely with them throughout.
“We continue to closely monitor standards at the premises, including regular inspections by our independent health and hygiene consultants NSF and continue to take stringent measures to ensure that the situation does not happen again.”