Mice teeth-marks found in sweets

Inayat Ullah, who owns Burnage Food Store, admitted five counts of breaching food hygiene regulations.

Magistrates in Manchester were told the infestation was spotted during a visit by an environmental health public protection officer on a separate issue.

Mr Ullah, 73, was ordered to pay £1,673 in costs.

Temporarily shut

The court heard that the officer noticed mouse droppings and urine throughout the store, particularly on dry goods such as biscuits and chocolate bars in July last year.

Some of the chocolate bars had been partially eaten by mice, wrappers had been gnawed through and there were visible bite marks on them.

There were also other hygiene problems including food debris underneath or behind equipment and fridges in a dirty state, the magistrates heard.

The store was forced to close immediately and Mr Ullah, of Burnage Hall Lane, was ordered to treat the infestation, clean the premises and get rid of the contaminated stock.

The store was re-opened six days later, the court was told.

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