Hotel Du Vin fined £120,000 after MICE droppings discovered in kitchen
Hotel pleaded guilty to two charges under the Food Safety and Hygiene Act at court
Hotel du Vin said that it is committed to delivering the best standards of cleanliness after being fined £120,000 following a mice infestation in the kitchen of its Birmingham hotel.
The 66-bedroom hotel admitted two charges under the Food Safety and Hygiene Act during an appearance at Birmingham Magistrates Court yesterday. One charge involved a failure to ensure the kitchen was clean with respect to mice droppings and the other to a failure to keep equipment clean.
The court heard that environmental health officers visited the hotel on 28 September 2016 after a diner spotted a mouse in the restaurant. Mice droppings were found in the kitchen and bar.
Lee Bennett, prosecuting on behalf of Birmingham City Council, said equipment in the kitchen, the bar floor and shelving were also very unclean, reported the Birmingham Mail. There was also said to be “a failure by Hotel du Vin to keep the premises in good repair including a flyscreen which was partially damaged, ceiling tiles which were damaged and displaced”.
A hygiene emergency prohibition order was served on the hotel until environmental health officers were satisfied that the required hygiene standards had been reached.
Iain MacDonald, representing Hotel Du Vin, said there had been improvements to the kitchen including a new floor and bar areas totalling £39,000 to ensure mice were kept out.
He said: “We fell below acceptable standards but this was a one off and we had rectified the problems and were back open on September 30.”
Hotel du Vin was fined £120,000 and ordered to pay court costs of £12,216, plus a surcharge of £170.
A spokesperson for Hotel du Vin later told The Caterer that the group acknowledged the court’s findings.
“The safety of our guests and staff is our number one priority and we take any breach of health and safety standards extremely seriously. We immediately rectified the issue that caused the temporary breach in September 2016 and all staff at this hotel have undergone rigorous retraining. We would like to reassure visitors to our hotel in Birmingham of our total commitment to maintaining best in class standards”
The hotel regained its food hygiene rating of five soon after the incident, which is believed to have been caused by building works in properties adjacent to the hotel.
Hotel du Vin Birmingham is one of 17 hotels in the group of boutique hotels.
WRITTEN BY: JANET HARMER Of The Caterer
