Budget retailer 99p Stores has been fined £23,500 after inspectors found food that had been nibbled by mice on sale inside its shop in Eltham.

Food business operators of the Eltham High Street shop, 99p Stores Limited, pleaded guilty to serious food hygiene offences at Bexley Magistrates’ Court on November 16.

Greenwich Council said environmental health officers discovered mouse droppings on the shelves and floors inside the stockroom during a routine inspection of the premises on January 7 this year.

Mice had gnawed holes in the floor and food products in the stock room, and left behind smear and grease marks.

Nibbled biscuits and cakes, mouse droppings and urine were also found on the shop shelves and floor.

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Mouse droppings found on the shop shelves

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Gnawed pasta packaging found inside the 99p store

Inspectors immediately shut down the store for nine days while it was thoroughly cleaned, disinfected and pest-proofed.

The council says inspectors revisited the shop several times, finding improvements.

Food hygiene ratings for all food retailers in the Greenwich borough can be found on the council’s website at royalgreenwich.gov.uk.