Leicester food wholesaler closed down on spot after six dead mice found

The Leicester city council officials decided that the state of the inside of the premises of A-Z Foods in London Street, Spinney Hils, were a risk to public health and stopped the business trading.

Prosecutor Tanya Summers told Leicester Magistrates’ Court how the officers had found mouse and pigeon droppings on food.

She said members of the food safety team closed down the business at 2.20pm on March 10.

Mrs Summers said that there were four dead mice upstairs and two downstairs on glueboards which are used to trap the rodents.

Mrs Summers read from a report complied by environmental health officer Liz Johnson.

She said Ms Johnson reported: “On lifting boxes off a shelf I found that some of the packets of biscuits inside had mouse droppings directly on top of them and on one box, the packing had been gnawed and the fig rolls nibbled by mice.

“We then went upstairs to inspect the foodstuff stored there.

“There were three glue boards on this floor which had dead mice on them.

“The structure of this floor was poor with many gaps in the fabric of the building which could provide mice with harbourage.

“There was evidence that pigeons were getting into the store area. I noted pigeon droppings on ledges and on food stuffs.”

The court heard that the business was closed on March 10 and environmental health officers revisited the premises the next day and not enough had been done to allow the store to re-open.

Mrs Summers said the food safety officers visited again on March 12 and decided the premises was fit to be re-opened for business.

The magistrates ruled that the action taken by the food safety team in closing down the business for 48 hours was appropriate.

No-one from A-Z was in court