Tesco fined after rodent reports
23/02/2010
An Ipswich supermarket has been handed a £17,000 fine after shoppers reported seeing mice running in the aisles.
The Tesco Extra branch in Martlesham was found guilty of eight offences under the Food Hygiene Regulations at South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court after poor cleaning and inadequate procedures had allowed rodents to enter parts of the store.
Suffolk Coastal District Council, which brought about the proceedings, said its food safety inspectors had encountered a "catalogue of problems" at the branch, including the claims that mice had been spotted scurrying through the store.
Councillor Sherrie Green said she was "amazed" at the lack of progress the store's management team had made to address concerns over health and safety.
"It is bad enough not to have had in place the basic safeguards that would have prevented rodents gaining access to the store, but I am amazed at the lack of serious action then taken to put an end to the problem," she said.
Following the decision, a Tesco spokesman said: "Tesco takes hygiene standards extremely seriously. Our customers expect clean and safe stores and we have thousands of people employed at Tesco to deliver this."
The council said Tesco was fined £17,000 and required to pay £57,000 towards the authority's costs.
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