An award-winning restaurant company specialising in North African cuisine has been ordered to pay nearly £21,000 for breaching food hygiene regulations after a mouse infestation.

Westminster City Council’s Food Team prosecuted Souk Restaurants and director Samir Mahdi after environmental health officers found the Souk Bazaar restaurant in Litchfield Street in the West End overrun with mice and droppings.

The restaurant – which was voted Best African Restaurant by the Evening Standard in 2001 - was closed after an inspection on 10 August, until 15 August 2006 and ordered to deal with the problem.

Samir Mahdi and Souk Restaurants pleaded guilty to seven offences of the Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006 at City of Westminster magistrates’ court in Horseferry Road last Friday (11 January).

Mahdi was fined £500 for each offence – a total of £3,500 – and ordered to pay £1,000 costs. Souk Restaurants Ltd was fined £2,000 for each offence – a total of £14,000 - and ordered to pay £2,449.80 costs.

Richard Block, operations manager for food, health and safety at Westminster City Council, said: “We reserve prosecution for the most serious food hygiene cases.

“The majority of our businesses comply with these rules but where people flagrantly or recklessly breach the law we will take action against them. A mouse infestation on this scale poses a significant risk to public health and something had to be done.”

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By Daniel Thomas

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