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Café owner fined for ignoring rodent infestation
15/06/2009
An East Sussex café owner has been fined for failing to implement proper pest control procedures.
A rat infestation outside the Bexhill-based establishment was uncovered by environmental health officers last year, the Argus reports.
However, the owner did not comply with a council notice to get rid of the rodents and has therefore been fined £165 plus costs.
Richard Parker-Harding, head of environmental health at Rother District Council, said this case should serve as a warning to owners of other businesses that sell food.
"We expect our instructions to be complied with to protect public safety," he commented.
Mr Parker-Harding added that environmental health officers frequently make spot checks to premises that sell food.
This, he warned, means those that are failing to meet the required hygiene standards will "inevitably" be caught.
The case comes shortly after the Lancashire Evening Post reported on the Centro restaurant in Preston, which was closed down after rodent droppings were found in the kitchen area.
