A live mouse caught on a sticky board trap was discovered at a Birmingham Chinese takeaway, leading to a £3,000 fine for the company responsible, magistrates heard.
Environmental health officers from Birmingham City Council found widespread mouse droppings during an inspection of Golden Chicken in Ermington Way in May last year. The inspection was the first carried out at the premises under the ownership of GK Chinese Ltd, which had registered the company just weeks earlier.
Court hearing and evidence
No representatives from GK Chinese Ltd attended the hearing at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Thursday, August 27, and the case was proved in their absence. Kate Simms, prosecuting on behalf of Birmingham City Council, told magistrates that a live mouse was found trapped on a sticky board trap during the inspection.
Mouse droppings were discovered in a number of areas, including food preparation areas, storage areas, on food packaging, on the floor, on shelving, and on equipment used to prepare food. A hygiene emergency prohibition notice was served on the company, forcing the closure of the takeaway until measures had been taken to remedy the problems.
Remedial action and reopening
Magistrates were told that on May 23 last year, two days after it had been closed, officers returned to the premises and found that treatment and a full clean had taken place. Golden Chicken was no longer considered a risk to health, and the notice was lifted, allowing the premises to reopen.
Sims said: "The company had failed to ensure adequate procedures were in place to control pests. While the defendant undertook remedial works, the conditions as they were at the time of the offence were totally unacceptable. The conditions identified resulted in an imminent risk to public health."
Fine and costs
Sims added: "GK Chinese Ltd were registered in February 2025 but they had already got to the place where the council had to undertake enforcement. This was the first inspection since the registration of the business."
For the single breach of the Food Safety and Hygiene Regulations 2013, magistrates fined GK Chinese Ltd £3,000. The company was also ordered to pay a £1,200 surcharge and prosecution costs of £1,591.35, bringing the total financial penalty to £5,791.35.
