Surrey pub hit with £13k fine for mouse infestation

On 19 May Gastro UK Ltd, the company operating The Alexander Public House, Oatlands Drive, Weybridge, Surrey pleaded guilty to eight offences at Redhill Magistrates' Court.

The offences were discovered on 15 August and 25 September 2014.

The Court fined Gastro UK Ltd £1,400 per offence, plus a £120 surcharge, and awarded the Council's full costs of £2,596.66, totaling £13,916.66.

Officers from Elmbridge Borough Council's Food Team carried out a routine food hygiene inspection and found evidence of a mouse infestation, poor structure and cleaning, and a failure to implement a suitable food safety management system.

When officers revisited not all matters had been dealt with.

Cllr Glenn Dearlove, Elmbridge Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Environment said: "It is right that the management of The Alexander Public House have been held accountable for their failure to comply with important food hygiene legislation.

“However, the subsequent improvement to a food hygiene rating of five demonstrates not only how hard they have worked, but also the improvement our food and safety officers can bring about when businesses work with us.”

A spokesman for The Alexander said the mice were not to found in the kitchen.

“We believe no contaminated food was ever actually served to consumers,” they explained.

The pub has changed staff since the incident, with new employees trained in a ‘highly resolute food management’.

The spokesman continued: “We have worked very hard since last August and achieved five stars scores on the doors, which hasn’t been done before at this pub.  

“We have a fantastic reputation for food and very high ratings on trip advisor and other review sites.  We very much hope public will acknowledge this and understand that this mistake was in the past and has been thoroughly rectified. 

“We hope customers old and new will continue to dine with us and enjoy the high quality food that we deliver.”