The Ranna restaurant has to improve hygiene before reopening after a mice infestation.
(Picture: Waltham Forest Council)An Indian takeaway in Walthamstow has shut its doors after council inspectors discovered a mouse infestation.
The proprietor of Ranna was hit by with a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Order and ordered to pay Council costs of £1096 at a hearing at Thames Magistrates’ on Wednesday.
Following a customer complaint, an immediate inspection of the restaurant by Environmental Health Officers on Wednesday 25 January found evidence of a rodent infestation.
Mouse droppings were found throughout the premises in Hoe Street including food preparation and storage areas, with deposits of dirt and grease indicating a lack of any food safety management plan, according to a Waltham Forest Council report.
The company has since undertaken extensive cleaning, repairs and pest control measures at the takeaway, which will remain closed until a follow-up inspection confirms the eradication of any infestation.
Cllr Khevyn Limbajee, Cabinet Member for Community Safety at Waltham Forest Council, said: “I shudder to think how long this risk to public health might have remained were it not for the swift and decisive actions of Council Environmental Health Officers.
“Rather than just a means of punishment, I hope this closure order sets the proprietors on the right course towards improving their health and safety practices permanently and restoring the confidence of their customers as well as the Council.”
