A cash and carry in Southall that ignored warnings from Ealing Council to clean up its act after inspections found rodent droppings and pest activity on its premises has been fined more than £28,000.
At a Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court hearing, Ealing Council said an inspection of Sira Cash & Carry of 43 South Road had achieved a 0 rating for its premises which needed “urgent improvement necessary”.
Its food safety team also revealed that since since 2009, eight food hygiene inspections had been carried out at Sira and during this time it never received a rating higher than 2 out of 5 which requires “improvement necessary”.
According to the council, on its most recent inspection of Sira, the safety team discovered a wide range of issues including finding rodent droppings on shelving next to food on the shop floor and in the warehouse. This inspection gave the premises a food hygiene rating of 0.
As a result, the owners were served a Hygiene Improvement Notice under the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 for failing to put in place adequate procedures to control pests..
At the magistrates’ hearing, the owner of Sira Cash and Carry, Streamquote Limited and the manager of the company, Ms Kuljit Chagger, of 46 Thorncliff Road, Southall were found guilty of food hygiene offences and ordered to pay more than £28,000. This consisted of fines of £26,400 for Streamquote Limited and £984 for Ms Chagger, and the council’s court costs of £1,610.
On 2 February 2024 they appealed the decision but were refused the appeal.
Councillor Louise Brett, the council’s cabinet member for decent living incomes said: “Rodent infestations in food businesses put people at a very real risk of sickness. I am very pleased that the court recognised the seriousness of these offences, imposed appropriate fines, and refused the appeal.
“Ealing Council’s food safety team will take swift action if a business is not complying with the law. They do a fantastic job protecting residents and supporting businesses to ensure that all food sold in the borough is safe and legal.”
