Dead mouse and rodent droppings found during health inspection at shop
BUSINESS SAYS IT HAS TAKEN STEPS TO DEAL WITH PROBLEM
A DEAD mouse and rodent droppings were found in a Derby supermarket.
Food hygiene inspectors were left concerned after finding evidence of rodent activity at Zam Zam Supermarket, in Pear Tree Road, Normanton.
The inspection, which took place on September 23, this year, also revealed dirty conditions in the shop’s bakery and store room.
The business says it has since fixed the issue and is waiting to be given a new rating by food hygiene inspectors in the new year.
The shop was awarded a one-star food hygiene rating as a result of the inspection by Derby City Council earlier this year.
The inspector noted that there was “evidence of low-level activity from mice” despite the fact the owners of the shop had hired a pest controller. This was compounded by a dead mouse being found next to a chest freezer in the far rear storage area, with mouse droppings in this area and the bakery.
The report noted there were “big gaps” under the garage door that could allow mice and other rodents to get inside.
The inspector added that the level of cleanliness inside the building was not up to standard, with dirty equipment and units in the bakery and storage rooms.
It was recommended the shop “step up” its cleaning regime by sanitising the premises every day before opening to the public and fix any holes and gaps in the structure of the building.
A manager at the store who spoke to the Derby Telegraph said the business had improved since the inspection. He said: “The inspectors came back three times since then and they’ve been a lot more positive.
“We’ve got our pest controllers involved and they’ve come down a lot more regularly and the problem has decreased substantially.
“The reason there were mice in the shop in the first place was because the shutter at the back entrance couldn’t completely shut, plus Normanton is littered with mice.
“We’ve paid somebody to come and fill in the gaps and it’s been more than a month since we’ve had any signs of mice.”
The manager said problems with cleanliness at the store had been fixed straight away.
“We had done what they asked within three or four days,” he said.
“We want them to come back and reinspect us, but I think the rules say that might not be allowed to happen until six months after the inspection.”