A food shop selling European food on Freeman Street has been temporarily closed after the Council’s Commercial Regulatory team discovered it had a rat infestation.
Al-Madina was visited by Health Officers on Tuesday, 17 December, after it received reports of rat sightings. Visiting the store, officers discovered evidence to substantiate this including various deposits of rat droppings and signs of pest activity, such as bite marks, on various products.
Officers issued the premises with a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice, resulting in the premises closing immediately, due to a serious risk to public health.
Now, officers have been to court to acquire a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Order which results in the premises remaining closed until the issues are remedied.
Another inspection will be carried out in the future and appropriate action taken should it be deemed necessary.
An infestation of rats at a food premises can result in a serious risk to public health due to the transmission of disease such as Weils disease and salmonella infection amongst other things.
Speaking about the order, Councillor Ron Shepherd, Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities, said: “We value the safety of our residents as the number one priority.
“Business owners have a duty of care to uphold certain standards and appropriate legal action will be taken for those found not to be doing so.
“I would also like to thank the work carried out by our environmental health officers who work hard to ensure the public’s safety and also give food business operators the direction and information they need to comply with food safety legislation.”
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