East London shop slammed after rat poo discovered on food and ceiling

An East London grocery shop has been slammed by inspectors after mice and rat droppings were discovered all over the shop, including on food.

They said the droppings had covered packets of rice, the floors and even the shop’s ceiling. Hygiene inspectors from Tower Hamlets Council said the shop would need major changes to make it hygienic and gave it a hygiene rating of 0 – the lowest possible score.

Photos taken by inspectors show areas throughout the shop, in the front and back, covered in dirt and rodent droppings. The officials described areas where food was stored – including meat – as “filthy and dirty.” They took dozens of photos documenting the shop’s poor state.

In their latest inspection, officers condemned the condition of the Hut Bazar grocery shop in Whitechapel and said it would have to be cleaned from top to bottom. The shop sells a range of Asian goods, including fresh meat and vegetables, as well as dry goods like rice and spices. The officers said that these items were not hygienic to sell in their current state.

They said the shop would have to: “Put into place adequate pest control [for] mice or rats’ poo.” They added that the shop would have to clean everywhere that had been covered in rat droppings, which included almost all areas of the shop.

The officers said that a lot of work would have to be done to get the shop up to scratch. They told the shop’s owners to clean “The walls [and] ceiling surfaces of poo, repair the wall/floor surfaces. Thoroughly clean the walls, floors and ceilings, thoroughly clean all equipment.

“Thoroughly clean all wash bowls/basins of rats’ poo, repair broken cupboards, washing equipment and wash basins.” The inspectors said that to improve its dire hygiene rating, Hut Bazar would have to: “Provide evidence of a tool safety management system, provide evidence of training managers, [and] layout the premises so that all parts are clean of rat poo.”

The Hut Bazar shop said it was consulting help to improve its poor hygiene score, but declined to provide a further comment.