Westminster Joe and the Juice stores fined after mouse droppings found in bread boxes

Two branches of Joe and the Juice successful cardinal London person been fined £40,000 each aft superior mice infestations were found.

The 2 branches - successful Westminster’s Garrick Street and Davies Street - were ordered to wage a full of £95,900 aft costs astatine a proceeding astatine Westminster Magistrates Court.

The tribunal heard however the chain’s outlet connected Garrick Street was unopen temporarily by assembly inspectors aft a wide rodent infestation was discovered successful June 2023.

Mouse droppings were recovered successful boxes of breadstuff utilized for the outlet’s sandwiches, portion grounds of the rodent droppings connected napkins meant for customers was besides found.

A abstracted inspection astatine an outlet connected Davies Street successful December 2023 besides revealed that breadstuff stored connected trays had been gnawed by mice.

There were droppings successful the java shop’s front-of-house serving area, arsenic good arsenic successful the shop’s storage.

Council officials said the infestation was apt encouraged by crumbs beneath the chain’s shelving.

Both outlets were served with exigency Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notices, temporarily closing them, earlier pleading blameworthy to 2 offences nether food hygiene regulations.

Cllr Aicha Less, Westminster’s Cabinet Member for Children and Public Protection said: “Customers should person bid of caput that the room and cafes they bask person the highest standards of hygiene and cleanliness.

“However, the details of these cases are genuinely shocking and autumn good beneath the standards we expect of nutrient businesses successful Westminster.

“The severity of these fines demonstrates however earnestly we instrumentality nutrient hygiene, and residents and visitors tin beryllium reassured that the assembly volition instrumentality meaningful enactment to support them safe.

"We proceed to enactment intimately with each nutrient and hospitality businesses to marque definite the precise highest standards of cleanliness are maintained.”