Nursery fined after mouse droppings found in food

Inspectors found mouse droppings throughout the nursery

A children's nursery and its directors have been fined after mouse droppings were found on food and in bibs and playrooms, a council said.

When inspectors from Oldham Council visited Cornerhouse Day Nursery on Cross Street in Lees in November 2023, they discovered mouse excrement on open packets of pasta and in boxes of children's cups and bottles.

The nursery and two directors admitted two charges under food safety and hygiene regulations at Tameside Magistrates' Court.

Oldham Council added that Cornerhouse Day Nursey Ltd had been fined £2,000 with costs of £1,087 and a victim surcharge of £800. Alison O'Reilly and Sadie Parsons were respectively fined £380 and £461.

'Dirty'

The council said O’Reilly was also ordered to pay £350 costs and a victim surcharge of £152, while the respective costs and victim surcharge for Parsons were £350 and £184.

An Oldham Council spokesperson said an inspector had also found dirt on the floor and discovered holes in the back of a kitchen cupboard that had not been pest proofed.

"Equipment, including the oven and the microwave, was found to be dirty," the council said.

Councillor Chris Goodwin said: "The building was very unclean and we'd have been failing in our duties, especially to the children and their parents, if we hadn’t taken action.

"The business is continuing to make improvements and that's good.

"We want to see businesses doing well and if you are struggling, please get in touch with our food safety team as they are here to help."

Following an inspection by Ofsted in October, the nursery received a "good" overall rating, improving on last year's "requires improvement" evaluation.