Court Fines Sweet Shop for Pest Infestation
An Asian sweet shop in Birmingham, Kundun Sweets Ltd, has been ordered to pay more than £30,000 after environmental health officers discovered widespread cockroach activity and mice droppings at its premises on Warwick Road, Acocks Green. The company was found guilty of five charges under the Food Safety and Hygiene Regulations 2013 at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Thursday, July 2.
The court heard that a general manager attended to answer the charges but was informed that only a director or secretary could represent the company, leading to the company being convicted in its absence.
Details of the Infestation
Megan Stanley, prosecuting for Birmingham City Council, said environmental health officers inspected the premises on July 30, 2025. They found cockroach activity throughout the premises and mouse droppings in cooking areas. Other charges included extremely dirty conditions with long-standing grease, grime, and debris, cockroach activity on food preparation areas, failure to keep food at correct temperatures, and improper packaging storage that risked contamination.
On a return visit on August 15, 2025, officers found that the business still posed a "significant risk" to public health, leading to its closure for remedial works.
Stanley stated: "There was widespread evidence of infestation of cockroaches, mice, dirty food preparation areas and meat stored incorrectly. There was a massive risk to the public who were eating at the premises. It was the right thing to do to close the business down."
Penalty and Costs
Birmingham Magistrates fined the company £25,000 for the first charge, along with a £2,000 surcharge and costs of £3,546.50, totaling £30,546.50. No separate penalties were imposed for the other four charges. Stanley added: "They did not make any practical attempts to work with us originally, which is why it took some time for us to rectify the issues."
The court noted that the situation has since been rectified.
