Food shop fined £12,600 after rat infestation

A Wolverhampton business and its director have been ordered to pay more than £12,600 after a rat infestation was discovered at a food shop, the city council has said.

Environmental health officers closed Citah Afro Caribbean Market in Lichfield Street in March last year, immediately after an inspection.

They allowed the shop to reopen later the same month after cleaning, repairs and pest control treatment.

The council said that director Hannah Otesanya and her business Citah Ltd had admitted three food safety offences at Dudley Magistrates' Court last month.

Officers said they were told the business had been aware of pest activity since December 2024.

They found open rodent bait on the first floor where food and drink products were being stored, as well as gaps in the cellar and first floor which were large enough to allow pests to enter. Gnawed packets were discovered in areas where food was handled and stored.

The council said the charges brought against Otesanya and her company related to failures to keep the premises clean and maintained in good repair, protect food from contamination which could make it unfit for human consumption, and put adequate pest control procedures in place.

It added that magistrates considered there was "high culpability" because the business had been aware of pest activity and failed to act.

The company was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay a £2,000 victim surcharge and £3,600 in costs, the council said. Otesanya was fined £460, with a £184 victim surcharge and £400 in costs.

Qaiser Azeem, cabinet member for resident services at City of Wolverhampton Council, said Otesanya had "knowingly put her customers at risk". He added: "The rat infestation had been obvious for some time, yet adequate controls had not been put in place, creating a risk to customers of serious illness."

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