A supermarket in Burton has been given the worst possible food hygiene rating of zero after mouse droppings were found in its warehouse.
Janosik Groceries was inspected by officers from East Staffordshire Borough Council in May 2017, who found that the premises in Uxbridge Street, Burton, had various failings.
This week staff at the supermarket said that while there had been problems when the premises were inspected, much has been done since to make changes. The supermarket has since had another food hygiene inspection, but the results have not yet been released; they are hoping to have met all the requirements.
When inspectors visited the store in May, they found that in the warehouse at the premises, which was used to store food, there was a build-up of dust, debris and old mouse droppings. The inspection team also found that refuse containers outside were overfilled and several black bin bags were left on the floor around the bins, attracting swarms of flies.
The report noted that the external vent cover to the extraction unit for the warehouse was missing, advising that bosses should fit a cover to prevent pests from getting into the warehouse.
The supermarket also has a deli counter for ready-to-eat foods and raw meats; it was found that these were not separated properly, which inspectors said could create a risk to consumers.
Staff at the supermarket told the Burton Mail this week: "There was a problem with separating cheeses. We have now separated them properly.
"We have cleaned up the back storage areas, so there is no longer any dirt in the warehouse. We have done everything that the report has told us we needed to do."
The owners of the Janosik supermarket also own another store in Birmingham of the same name, and this has a food hygiene rating of four out of a possible maximum five.
Food safety officers from local authorities visit businesses to examine the premises and give them a ranking from zero to five; zero is the poorest and five is the top rating.
Officers inspect the business by looking at how hygienically food is handled, the condition and structure of the buildings and how the business manages and records what it does to ensure food is safe for consumption.
Any business which receives a rating of zero or one is told how they can improve their food hygiene by the inspector, and is usually a given a time frame in which improvements should be made.
