A shop in Wales remained open despite a closure order due to rat and mice infestations and hygiene concerns.
Tasadduk Ali owns United Foods (S Wales) Ltd. His shop, butchery, and warehouse are in Newport. Inspectors found rats during visits and the prosecutor said Ali failed on many fronts, not keeping rodents out well enough and displaying poor food storage. The building also had structural issues and was dirty.
Inspectors visited Ali’s shop on August 24, 2023. They smelled something bad right away and saw live and dead mice. Droppings were everywhere and mice had chewed holes in rice bags. Mould grew, the walls were bad, and wires hung down.
Ali first agreed to close his shop, but the officers found it open the next day. Rat problems still existed and boxes of meat were left out to thaw. Officers returned again on August 26 and found that the shop was still open, after which they ordered the shop to close. The shop reopened after fixing the issues.
Another check happened on November 7, 2023. They found more droppings, a chewed-on rice bag, and wall and ceiling holes. Droppings were also found in a food tray.
Construction at the back exposed the roof, leaving meat open to the outside. A board covered a drain and the butchery was dirty, with black mould. Inspectors also found more dead rodents there.
Ali seemed unconcerned about the problems. The shop reopened, so they ordered it closed again. An inspection occurred at a warehouse on December 21, 2023. It was on Marlborough Road and they had a warrant to search for concerns regarding rat droppings covering stored food.
Ali showed up while they searched and said United Foods ran the warehouse. The inspection found lots of rats; it was hard not to step on droppings. Blood stained the floor, rat footprints were on food jars, and shelves with food had droppings. They ordered the warehouse closed.
The shop reopened last April after improvements, but the warehouse stayed shut. Ali and his company admitted guilt for having broken food safety rules. Ali had three past convictions for food safety issues, changing his business name often. He showed poor food safety, the prosecutor stated.
Ali’s lawyer said he improved hygiene and hired a pest control company. The shop now has a top rating and no complaints have occurred since improving standards. Furthermore, his wife had surgery and his son has epilepsy. Closing the shop would hurt the family.
The judge said safety is most important. He gave Ali six months, suspended for a year. Ali must do 100 hours of work. His company was fined £6,000 and must pay £3,500 in costs, while Ali should pay £5,000 too. The judge also banned Ali due to future risk.
A council member said they protect residents. The conditions at United Foods were bad, and the sentence shows how seriously they take it. The court recognized the severity of the crimes. They help businesses improve, but act against those with bad food safety.