Health inspectors found a large rat hole, droppings and gnawed bags of flour at the store (Picture: BPM)
A KFC branch has been fined £25,000 after rats were found living in the kitchen.
Health inspectors found a large rat hole, droppings and gnawed bags of flour at the store, in Leytonstone, East London.
The restaurant was immediately shut on the grounds of an imminent risk to health following a visit by Waltham Forest Council in August 2022.
The officers reported very poor levels of hygiene where the food was being stored, prepared, and cooked.
The franchisee, Triple D Limited, and one of its directors, Abdul Daroowala, plead guilty to failing to put in place adequate procedures to control pests and poor levels of cleanliness in October 2023.
The company was fined £22,000 for both offences plus £2,339 in costs. Daroowala was fined £1,115 plus a victim surcharge of £446.
Cllr Khevyn Limbajee, Cabinet Member for Community Safety at Waltham Forest Council, said: ‘For a franchise under the brand of KFC this was a terrible breach of trust.
The store was immediately shut on the grounds of an imminent risk to health (Picture: MyLondon/BPM)
Rat droppings were found in the kitchen (Picture: MyLondon/BPM)
‘With so many people ordering their food online these days they would have no idea what the state of the kitchens were like.
‘We are pleased the magistrates have sent a clear message by issuing a significant fine.
‘Waltham Forest Council will always act to protect the health of the public and prosecute food businesses where evidence identifies breaches of food safety laws.’
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