By Jo Charlton

joanne.charlton@essnmedia.co.uk

A trader has been ordered to pay over £5,000 after mouse droppings and bags of food chewed at by rodents were found in his West Croydon shop.

Kulasingham Kiridaran pleaded guilty to five counts of breaking food hygiene regulations at Croydon Magistrates' Court.

The father of two, who lives in Donald Road, Croydon, was prosecuted for the breaches at BK Food City, in London Road, which he has owned for 11 years.

Environmental health officers from Croydon Council visited the store for a routine food hygiene inspection on March 18.

The court heard that they were "immediately alarmed".

There was evidence of a rodent infestation which "clearly caused concern that there was risk to the food and that it wasn't going to be fit for human consumption" the court was told.

Mouse droppings were found on shelves and around bags of food in the store, which sells dried goods as well as meat and fish.

Many food bags were also found to have been gnawed by rodents, and cigarette ends were left on the floor - which, the court heard, was incredibly dirty.

The biggest risk of contamination was found to be at the back of the shop where meat is cut and repackaged ready to be sold.

Kiridaran, 38, phoned the council 25 minutes after the environmental health officers left the shop.

The court was told that he "didn't think there was a problem" as he had a contract with a pest control company.

He claimed that the droppings must have been old ones, although the court heard this was unlikely as they were found in the middle of the floor.

Staff also had no soap or towels to clean their hands after handling raw meat, creating "a risk to health for anyone eating the food".

Environmental officers closed the store immediately and re-visited two days later, when there was found to be "no improvement".

On March 23, they returned once more and found the store had been cleaned and other refurbishments were ongoing.

Evidence of the infestation had disappeared and so the store was allowed to reopen.

During a subsequent visit on November 12 there was nothing of concern, the court heard.

Apologising for the state of the shop, Kiridaran told the court: "I'm alone, I couldn't do anything myself.

"I'm very sorry."

The court heard he already owes the Inland Revenue £17,000 for another failed business.

He was ordered to pay a £3,000 fine and costs to the council for their investigation of £2,074.39. This will have to be paid in monthly sums of £200 each.