B&M Fined £2m Over Mice Infestations

B&M Retail Ltd was fined £2m after Birmingham City Council prosecuted the company for food hygiene offences linked to mouse infestations at three Birmingham stores, according to BBC. Inspectors found rodent-gnawed foodstuffs, droppings near children's toys, urine contamination on food packaging and shelving, and structural defects allowing pest entry at sites including St Andrew's Retail Park, Priory Square Shopping Centre and The Fort Shopping Park. The council said one store was closed immediately after a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice, while another was shut because of the risks to public health. B&M pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates' Court and was also ordered to pay £18,104 in prosecution costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge within 28 days.