A corner shop has been shut down after health and safety inspectors discovered the ‘worst infestation’ of mice ‘they have ever seen’.
Crisp packets ripped into and eaten by the rodents were for sale on the shelves of a Premier Express in Portsmouth, Hampshire.
Mouse droppings littered the shelves next to sweets which were also for sale.
A disgusted member of the public decided to put a stop to this and filed a complaint with Portsmouth City Council.
Health inspectors were sent round and were appalled by the discovery, so issued a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition notice on the shop – shutting it down.
A district judge has since granted a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Order at Portsmouth Magistrates Court along with full costs to confirm the closure.
The order means Pinal and Mehul Ltd, the food business operator, is banned from trading from the Premier Express Nice ‘n’ Fresh until the infestation is resolved because of the ‘imminent risk of illness’.
Councillor Lee Hunt, cabinet member for community safety, leisure and sport, said: ‘The environmental health officer who visited described this as one of the worst infestations they have ever seen in a retail business.
Premier Express Nice ‘n’ Fresh has been court ordered to shut until it deals with the ‘worst infestation’ of mice health inspectors ‘have ever seen’
Mice had torn into packets of crisps and Mini Cheddars and feasted on the snacks which were still for sale
Several packets were found with nibbled holes in them
Mouse droppings littered the shelves of the corner shop
‘Mice can spread diseases such as salmonella and campylobacter through their droppings and urine, so when they come into contact with open food or contaminate the outside of packets like in this case, there is an imminent risk of illness to people’s health.
‘We want to work with businesses to resolve any issues before they get to this dangerous state and have to be closed, and thankfully the vast majority of the city’s traders operate good hygiene practices.’
In December last year, a south London cheese shop was fined £75,000 after health inspectors found droppings and nibbled ham on the premises.
Croydon Magistrates Court convicted and sentenced Heritage Cheese Kitchen Ltd in November after breaches of food safety standards were uncovered at two separate locations in the area.
Rodents had nibbled away at one kilogram of ham in the Dulwich store’s walk-in fridge, which was also contaminated with droppings in May 2024. The contaminated ham was destroyed onsite by the offices, and the store agreed to close.
The second case in June 2024 revealed more safety failures at its Tower Bridge store, again with ‘extensive mouse droppings’ on shelves, in storage areas and crates to transport cheese, no hot water, poor hygiene and unsanitary equipment used to cut food.
Staff were unable to confirm expiry dates for 30kg of cheese so it was destroyed and the business was closed.
