A butcher has been banned from running any food business for life after mice twice overran his shop in east London.
Al Mustafa Halal Butchers was shut down in December 2021, just days after its director Kashif Umar appeared in court over previous hygiene breaches.
Mr Umar, 39, claimed he had been caught in the act of trying to solve the rodent infestation when environmental health officers came to inspect a second time.
Waltham Forest Council found poor levels of cleanliness and repair and mouse droppings among bags of rice at the store in High Road, Leyton.
Pleading guilty to two offences of violating food hygiene laws, Mr Umar was fined more than £10,000 by Thames Magistrates’ Court.
He was also issued with an order prohibiting him from operating any other food business in his lifetime.
Councillor Khevyn Limbajee, Waltham Forest’s cabinet member for community safety, said: “The council takes the safety and health of its residents seriously and will act under its legal duties where public health is being put at risk.
“Unfortunately, in this case the food business operator was not proactive in addressing earlier food hygiene contraventions and allowed conditions at the premises to remain below legal compliance putting the health of consumers at risk.
“I am pleased the court recognised the significant risks posed and took the decision not only to issue financial sanctions, but also to prohibit Mr Umar from operating a food business in the future.”
