Restaurant owners fined after mice droppings and mould found |
The owners of Great Yarmouth restaurant To No Trabalho were prosecuted after environmental health officers discovered uncontrolled mice throughout the kitchen and bar during an unannounced inspection last January.
Owners Bruce and Silvana Marques pleaded guilty to six environmental health offences at Great Yarmouth Magistrates' Court on March 20.
The offences included inadequate pest control, failure to keep the premises clean and in good repair, and failing to protect food from contamination.
Mice droppings were found on a shelf storing cutlery and condiments, along the bar counter, inside a cupboard containing open food packets, and on top of food bowls.
Officers also reported rotting food, broken glass, and other debris on the floor, along with black mould around the washing-up area.
The extraction baffles above the hob, fryers, and grill were covered in a thick, black layer of grease, and the ice machine contained yellow slime.
The council immediately served a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice, forcing the restaurant to shut.
It remained closed for 12 days until the mouse infestation was controlled and cleaning was completed to remove risks to public health.
The restaurant later received a Food Hygiene Rating of four, but the business has since ceased trading.
The Marqueses were ordered to pay a fine, a victim surcharge, and costs totalling £1,896.
A Great Yarmouth Borough Council spokesman said: "Great Yarmouth has many excellent food businesses that work hard to meet the required standards of food hygiene.
"However, there are unfortunately some occasions where some fall short of the standards required.
"Food premises that fail to follow proper hygiene procedures are putting public health at risk and Great Yarmouth Borough Council will not hesitate in taking action against those who break the law.
"This prosecution sends out a clear message that all food businesses must operate hygienically."