West Bromwich takeaway boss jailed over mouse infestation

Health inspectors who visited the Yummy House Chinese takeaway in West Bromwich were stunned to see a mouse scurry across the kitchen.

Droppings were then found all over the kitchen and pantry as well as near to food in boxes. The Greets Green Road takeaway’s owner Vu Lu was this week jailed for six months after admitting failing to ensure adequate pest control, protecting food from contamination and keep the premises under proper repair. The 41-year-old was also fined £2,500 by Recorder Christopher Millington QC at Wolverhampton Crown Court who told him: “It is impossible to know for how long food was prepared while the premises were in this condition but it is clear from some of the findings that this situation had not developed overnight. “You were fully aware of the importance and seriousness with which offences of this type are viewed. “It is a very serious matter to put the safety of members of the public at risk and this is the second occasion you have appeared in court for this kind of offending.” Father-of-two Vu Lu, from West Bromwich, had been given a suspended prison sentence years earlier for breaching food hygiene regulations, said Mr Mark Jackson, prosecuting. He added it was thought vermin had got into the kitchen of the premises through a hole in the pantry floor. Pest control officers caught a total of seven mice as the takeaway was closed to prevent the risk of “injury to health”. Vu Lu had been given a 30-week jail term suspended for two years in 2009 for food hygiene offences at the same premises which traded at the time under the name Le House.

Its amazing to think anyone could trade with a mouse problem like the one mentioned above, but its a sad fact that many traders do. Simply calling at a premises every 8 weeks and monitoring for pests can allow many pest problems to be stopped before they get out of hand and cost the trader a small fortune of worse end up with a custodial sentence. Pest Pro offer pest control in the following areas: Pest Control South Shields, pest control Newcastle, pest control Tyne and Wear,  pest control Washington.