A butcher with rotten food in its fridges and rat nests under the meat counter has been ordered to stay shut.

Kenya Halal Butchers, of 26 Bridge Street, was given a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Order on Friday, March 8, after council officers presented evidence to magistrates.

Council officers found the business open and serving customers when they visited the premises on February 28, but, upon entering, immediately noticed the poor standard of cleaning throughout the store.

They saw evidence that rats had been climbing across the shop food counters as they found gnawed nut shells in and amongst food packaging in different areas of the shop floor counters.

Gnawed bags of food were found and officers found food packaging which had sellotape over the gnawed holes.

There were also large quantities of rat droppings in front of the meat counter under boxes of crisp packets as well as under the refrigerated meat counter and under disused display counters.

Rat nests in the meat counter had been built using material from all over the shop, such as blue customer shopping bags, blue paper tissues and black eye beans.

Officers commented that the smell of rat urine behind the meat counter was disgusting.

Apart from rats, walk-in chillers were described as filthy, with rotting food debris on the floor surfaces underneath plastic pallets. 

A bag of raw meat was being stored directly on top of a crate of avocados and open raw meat was observed being stored directly on the filthy floor surface of the walk-in freezer.

The court was told that the store was also extremely untidy with even items like a cement mixer being stored in the rear of the business, making it impossible to clean effectively or check for pests.

During the visit, the business was served a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition notice formally closing the business.

The magistrate-granted emergency prohibition order allows the council to keep the shop shut until it is satisfied that the safety of customers can be met.

The store is owned by Kenya Butchers Swindon Limited. The business decided not to attend court.

Magistrates awarded the council full costs of £3,493.70.

Councillor Jim Grant, Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet member for Joint Working and Communities, said: “The conditions found in this business were shocking as you can see from the pictures our food hygiene officers took.

“Cases like this are rare but, when they do occur, our officers will take action straight away to protect the health and safety of the public.”