Poundland fined £134k for putting public health at risk after chocolate Santas ‘nibbled by rodents’ were found on the shelves
Employees had complained of "c**p everywhere" in its "disgusting" storerooms
POUNDLAND has been slapped with a £134,000 fine after chocolate Santas gnawed on by rodents were discovered on its shelves.
Grease stains caused by months of mice activity were also found, as well as a partially eaten Easter egg.
Sickening pictures show chocolate Father Christmas figures with part of the head nibbled by rodents.
The budget chain has been fined £134,000 for breaching food hygiene laws in two of its Birmingham stores, which are based just yards apart.
The city's crown court was presented with documents where employees complained of "c**p everywhere" and a "disgusting" storeroom.
Judge Mary Stacey said the evidence in the case showed a failure to monitor and supervise at a senior corporate level.
But the judge - who described mice as "determined and ingenious" creatures which were notoriously hard to control - accepted that Poundland's own records had helped to establish the facts of the case.
She added: "Food safety is of course paramount to public health and it is extremely important that the public can have confidence in the hygiene standards in our high street shops.
"In both stores in the periods with which we are concerned there had been mouse activity which had been proven to exist over a three-month period prior to the environmental health officers going in.
"It is absolutely clear that Poundland have apologised profusely for the distress to their customers and to the staff having to work in those conditions - and I find that remorse genuine."
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The judge, who said she had shopped at both stores, also ordered Poundland to pay costs of £18,162.
Poundland pleaded guilty at earlier hearings to breaching food hygiene laws, admitting a total of eight offences relating to the shops.
Opening the case on behalf of Birmingham City Council, prosecutor Lee Bennett said inspectors from the local authority called at the stores in February and September 2015 after separate complaints from members of the public.
The first inspector to call at the larger of the two stores noted signs of pest activity - including mouse droppings near water bottles and snacks.
The court heard droppings were also found stuck to a box of sweets, while evidence of the extent and duration of the rodent problem included grease left by pests as they repeatedly followed the same route for up to six months.
In mitigation, the firm's barrister, Ian Thomas, said the gnawed Santas had been in a stockroom and there had been "zero chance" of the products being consumed.
"The company takes this matter very, very seriously," He explained. "It is sorry that it's let itself down and it's sorry that it's let its very loyal customer base down."
The retailer, which employs around 18,000 workers and runs 824 stores, had a turnover of £1.2billion in 2016.
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