A former Birmingham city centre newsagents shop was found to be infested with mouse droppings and gnawed food, a court has heard. Environmental Health officers from Birmingham City Council discovered a severe pest infestation at Newspoint in Link Street during an inspection on October 17, 2024.
Details of the Infestation
At Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, April 24, it was revealed that mouse droppings were found in multiple areas of the premises, including among food and drink on the shelves. Newspoint, which ceased trading in July 2025, pleaded guilty to three charges under the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013.
One charge related to failure to permit good food hygiene practices, including protection against contamination and pest control. The court heard that mouse droppings were found at the far end of the storeroom around the base of a soil pipe, on the floor among bottles of drink, in the rear lobby, on shelving under the serving counter, behind sweets, between packets of sugar, behind tubes of crisps, in a box containing Alpen bars, and a gnawed marshmallow biscuit was found on the floor.
Other Failings
Another charge related to failure to keep the shop clean, with sweets on shelving covered in dust and dirt. The final charge was due to the lack of a sink within the premises.
Mr Oladele Osinuga, prosecuting, said: “The council is of the view this severe pest infestation posed a health risk to members of the public.”
Defence Arguments
Adam Farrer, defending, stated that the shop ceased trading on July 8 last year when its lease expired after unsuccessful negotiations with the landlord for improved conditions. He described it as a small business that was barely profitable and faced high costs before closing. Mr Farrer noted that the business sold packaged food, not fresh or open products. He argued that the source of the mouse problem was a loading bay at the rear of the shop, which the business had no control over and was the landlord’s responsibility. He called the issue a ‘one-off failure’ during the lease negotiation period, with no previous concerns. He also mentioned that there had been no sink or running water in the unit for 20 years, but previous environmental health inspections had raised no concerns.
Court Penalty
Magistrates fined the company £1,000 and ordered them to pay a £1,400 surcharge and prosecution costs of £1,600.
