The owners of two food businesses have been fined thousands of pounds after severe mice infestations were uncovered by Ealing Council’s food safety team.
Mukhtar Hussain, owner of Lahori Savour, a fast food restaurant on The Green in Southall, pleaded guilty to several charges at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on 27 May. The offences included failing to ensure adequate procedures to control pests and failing to keep the premises clean and in good repair.
Mr Hussain and Lahori Savour were ordered to pay a total of £20,479 in fines and court costs.
Council officers had ordered the restaurant to close in September 2023 after finding an imminent risk to public health due to a mice infestation. In October 2023, they revisited and were satisfied that enough work had been done to remove the risk. The restaurant currently has a food hygiene rating of 2.
In a separate case, Qing Tian, owner of Green Forest Plus Ltd, a food production company in Park Royal, was also prosecuted. They pleaded guilty to similar offences, including failing to control pests and failing to keep the premises clean and properly maintained.
During inspections in March 2024, council officers found what they described as one of the worst mice infestations they had ever seen in the borough, including dead mice on glue traps. The business was ordered to close immediately and no longer operates in the area.
Qing Tian was ordered to pay £8,432 in fines and court costs after appearing at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on 9 May.
Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, cabinet member for decent living incomes, said: “Food businesses have a responsibility to protect their customers by applying the highest possible safety standards to their operations, and our food safety team does everything it can to help businesses maintain these standards. However, we will ensure the minority of businesses that break the rules and gamble with the public’s safety are held accountable.
“Investigating these cases costs the council money, which would be better spent supporting our residents elsewhere. We will continue to crackdown on food businesses with poor hygiene standards. You can play your part in supporting our community by reporting any concerns to our team.”
Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
He launched Harrow Online in 2010 as a Facebook page sharing local news and information. Since then, it has grown into a trusted source for breaking news, crime, council decisions, planning, transport, business and community stories across the borough.
Harrow Online reaches hundreds of thousands of readers each month and has a social media audience of more than 200,000 followers.
For news tips, press releases or enquiries, contact Chris at info@harrowonline.org.
