Supermarket giant Asda has been ordered to pay £30,000 after a dead mouse was discovered in a pack of rolls.

Denise Brown, 39, of Rochester Drive, Westcliff, bought a pack of 24 rolls from the Asda store in North Shoebury Road, Shoebury, in August 2001.

When she opened the pack she found a dead mouse complete with 42 pellets of mouse droppings inside the plastic pack, suggesting the mouse had been alive inside the packet.

Denise Brown: found the dead mouse in a packet of bread rolls baked at Asda, Shoebury Picture: STEVE O'CONNELL

Mrs Brown complained about the rolls, which were baked at the store, but felt they did not take action quickly enough so contacted Southend Council's environmental health team.

A senior environmental health officer found the store had a mouse infestation with insufficient measures to control the pests. She ordered the company to take immediate action.

Claire Andrews, mitigating, told Southend magistrates Asda had a relatively good health and safety record with only ten convictions nationally.

She said: "There are thoroughly proper procedures to ensure this does not happen. It is accepted by Asda the procedures had fallen down at that time and there was a departure from the standards expected."

Chairman of the bench Chris Catchpole said: "These are serious offences and little was done after initial hygiene reports highlighted the problem.

"If it was not for Mrs Brown's diligence and persistence in getting on to Asda this case would never have come to court."

The company admitted two breaches of health and safety rules. It was fined £15,000 for the contamination of the rolls, £4,500 for failing to control hygiene standards at the store and ordered to pay £10,000 in court costs.

After the case, a spokesman for Asda said: "The incident happened two years ago and we have rigorously reviewed procedures to ensure that nothing like that could ever happen again."

Mrs Brown said: "I am glad they accepted there was a fault in the way they were doing things and that they have been punished for that."

Published Tuesday, April 29, 2003

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