A dead mouse discovered by health inspectors at a catering business in Whitechapel landed the owner in court.
The caterer and a supermarket half-a-mile away were both forced to close following hygiene inspections by Tower Hamlets Council.
Health officers visited Haochii caterers’ trading unit in Raven Row, behind the Royal London Hospital, following a complaint to the council about food hygiene.
They found the dead mouse stuck to the bottom of an employee’s shoe.
Mouse droppings were also found on food containers, weighing scales and mixed with fresh ginger.
Haochii Limited has now ceased trading and the building was demolished in June. Owner Mohsin Nadeem, 41, admitted five summonses for breaching hygiene regulations and was fined £5,200 by Thames Magistrates’ Court, following the inspection in August 2016.
Council inspectors also paid a routine visit to Nilsa supermarket in Burslem Street, Whitechapel, where they found “evidence of pest infestations” with mouse droppings on worktops and food packaging.
The supermarket was closed for a week in January to give owner Mohammed Hoque, 45, time to clean up. He was fined £5,800.
“We won’t tolerate these problems,” the council’s cabinet member for environment Amina Ali said. “Our enforcement team will take action when retailers breach the law. Some retailers are not taking hygiene seriously enough.”
The council has fired a warning that it will close down unhygienic premises and take court enforcement action against owners.
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