The owners of a sweet shop have been fined thousands of pounds for food hygiene offences, including rodent infestations, following an investigation by Ealing Council.
Manoj Sharma and Harinder Purewal, who run Poonam Sweet Centre, in Western Road, Southall, each pleaded guilty to 2 food hygiene offences at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on 20 October.
The offences related to inadequate pest control measures and failing to keep the premises clean and in good condition.
Sharma, of Wellesley Avenue in Iver, Buckinghamshire, was fined £3,333 and ordered to pay £2,131 in costs and a £1,333 victim surcharge, bringing his total bill to £6,797.
Purewal of Skye Cluan, also in Iver, was fined £1,538 and ordered to pay £2,131 in costs and a £615 victim surcharge – a total bill of £4,284.
Mouse and rat infestation
The court heard that Ealing Council’s food safety officers visited Poonam Sweet Centre for a routine inspection in May 2025.
They found an infestation of mice, with droppings on floors throughout the production area, on trolleys used to store food, and on shelves next to food and packaging. Rat droppings were also found on the floor of the production area.
Officers also found bits of food, dirt, and grease around the sweet shop, including on floors, shelves, equipment, pipes, and the kitchen extraction system.
The conditions were considered an immediate risk to public health, and the business was ordered to close until the problems had been put right.
The business received a food hygiene rating of 0 out of 5, meaning urgent improvement was necessary. It was revisited later that month and was permitted to reopen after improvements were made.
Repeated food safety problems
The court heard that Poonam Sweet Centre has a history of poor food hygiene standards.
The business voluntarily closed because of a mouse infestation in 2010. It was ordered to close following an infestation of both mice and cockroaches in 2015, and again thanks to an infestation of mice in October 2024 – around seven months before the closure which led to this latest prosecution. It has also received several food hygiene ratings of 0 since 2009.
When officers inspected the business again in December 2025, improvements had been made, but some pest activity was still found.
In August this year, it received a food hygiene rating of 3, meaning conditions were generally satisfactory and legally compliant.
Protecting public health
Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, the council’s cabinet member for decent living incomes, said: “Food businesses have a legal responsibility to keep their customers safe. Finding mouse and rat droppings in areas where food is prepared and stored is completely unacceptable.
“Our food safety officers protected the public by closing the business until it was safe to reopen.
“We will continue to take strong action when businesses fail to meet basic food hygiene standards and put people’s health at risk.”
Stay safe
If you are planning to eat out or buy food, check the business’s hygiene rating first on the Food Standards Agency website.
To tell the council about a food business that you have concerns about, email foodsafety@ealing.gov.uk.
