Rat droppings and dead mouse found at chip shop

The owner of Park Fisheries paid thousands in fines and court costs

Magistrates who were shown photos of rat droppings at a fish and chip shop said they represented the worst conditions they had ever seen in a takeaway.

Mohammed Shabir, owner of Park Fisheries in Bradford, appeared in court on Thursday to answer seven charges relating to two inspections carried out at the takeaway in 2022 and 2023.

The court was shown images taken during the 2022 visit of rodent faeces on equipment surfaces and the premises were still "filthy" the following year.

Shabir, 64, of Oak Villas, Manningham, pleaded guilty and was fined £1,536 and ordered to pay £4,611 costs and a £614 surcharge.

Magistrates were shown images of rat droppings in the chip shop

Bradford and Keighley Magistrates' Court heard that Shabir failed "to put in place adequate procedures to control pests, resulting in a significant rat infestation and leading to an imminent risk to public health".

Another charged alleged he failed to properly clean surfaces, which resulted in "rodent droppings being present on food preparation surfaces", reported the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Imran Hussain, prosecuting on behalf of Bradford Council, told the court that Shabir had a previous food hygiene conviction for similar offences dating back to 2013.

On 23 November 2022 the council's environmental health team carried out a routine inspection at the takeaway.

A dead mouse was pictured in the premises

Mr Hussain said: "They identified areas of rat activity, including rat droppings.

"There were droppings under the fry counter, on the floor, and on shelfing behind the grill.

"There were droppings in a basement area where Pepsi was being stored, and a strong smell was coming from the basement."

Photos shown to magistrates included one of a dead mouse on the floor.

Shabir agreed to close the business due to the infestation.

It was allowed to reopen later that month after a reinspection found the pest issue had been dealt with.

The chip shop was inspected again almost a year later, on 14 November 2023.

Although there was no issue with rodents on that occasion, inspectors found dirty conditions and poor food storage.

Mr Hussain said improvement had been seen on subsequent inspections, and the business now had a three-star food hygiene rating.

Chair of the bench Mr Greenwood said: "There had been a blatant lack of care, with occasional attempts to improve, but you didn’t comply with guidance.

"As a bench with decades of experience, we haven't heard of worse conditions in a takeaway business before."

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