Dried fish on display at a street market in London’s East End had been gnawed by mice while being stored badly, a court heard.

Filthy conditions were found in the storage unit nearby, included a rotting fish head that was embedded in congealed blood in a freezer.

There were no temperature controls to keep fish fresh and no running hot water—while staff were found to be “inadequately trained”.

The premises in Brady Street, Whitechapel, were in “such a state of disrepair” that vermin were getting inside and the business had to be closed for several weeks by Tower Hamlets council’s public health office.

“This was an extreme case,” the council’s environment cabinet member Ayas Miah said. “We’ll take action when retailers are in breach of the law.”

Whitechapel Market trader Elsayed Hosny was fined £1,400 with £1,500 costs by Thames magistrates.

The 64-year-old from Burdett Road, Mile End, admitted failing to protect food from contamination after Environmental Health officers found the infestation in the premises during an inspection last summer.