Bakery next to Victoria Coach station spends £100,000 to rid severe mice infestation
By Jacob Phillips, Local Democracy Reporter
A bakery had to spend more than £100,000 refurbishing its building after a severe mice infestation, its manager said.
Chestnut Bakery, next door to Victoria Coach Station, also claims it “lost more than £70,000” when it had to close for 20 days at the end of last year for the works.
The Elizabeth Street bakery was ordered to pay a further £3,592 in fines and court costs at City of London Magistrates Court yesterday after Westminster City council said mice droppings were seen at the venue before the refurbishment.
Speaking from Chestnut Bakery, manager Hassan Mousa said: “We spent more than £100,000 refurbishing the whole place and we lost more than £70,000 in the 20 days we were closed.
“We want to assure everyone we are following food standards. We want our customers to be able to feel safe when they eat here.”
The court heard how a Westminster food hygiene inspector had found droppings all over the place.
Three bags of flour had also been gnawed through, Westminster’s barrister Tazafar Asghar told the court.
He added: “Mice droppings were seen [near] a rolling pin and a chopping board.
“There were mice droppings on the floor in the corner of the kitchen, droppings on the floor in the main bread-making room, and near takeaway boxes.”
Photographs of the café from the Westminster hygiene inspection were also shown to City of London magistrate Debbie Sandford.
The mice infestation had begun after heavy building works drove the mice towards the café, according to the eatery’s management team.
The team also explained that pest control was brought in to get rid of the pests and block any entry points.
The pest control team also visited other areas of the building to make sure mice would not be able to return, the team added.
The café has since reopened and it currently has a food hygiene rating of five on the food standards agency website.
The FSA said a rating of five meant hygiene standards were very good and fully comply with the law.
Pictured top: Chestnut bakery in Elizabeth Street in Belgravia (Picture: Jacob Phillips)