Cardiff Restaurant Fined £16k After Mouse Infestation Found

A popular Cardiff restaurant has been hit with hefty fines after health inspectors uncovered a mice infestation and multiple food hygiene violations. 🍛🐭

Lake Spice restaurant near Roath Park and its owner Mamun Miah were found to be “putting profit before customer safety,” Cardiff Magistrates’ Court heard during proceedings.

The Lake Road West establishment, which boasts an impressive 4.5-star average from 320 Google reviews, was inspected on September 21, 2023, when officials discovered mouse-infested storage facilities and premises that were “not clean or well-maintained.”

A Cardiff council spokesman stated the restaurant’s “layout, design, construction, siting, and size were inadequate for maintaining good hygiene practices.” Evidence presented included photographs showing mouse droppings on tablecloths and the kitchen floor.

Miah, 44, of Bacton Road in Gabalfa, and the business both pleaded guilty to three food hygiene offences. His solicitor Garth James argued in mitigation that “there was no contamination in the food or food preparation areas and that efforts were made to limit pest activity, though these fell short of requirements.”

District Judge Mark Layton noted that profit was being prioritised over safety, causing serious risks to customer health. He warned Miah that similar future offences could result in an immediate prison sentence.

The judge ordered Lakeside Restaurant Ltd to pay a £10,000 fine, £877 in prosecution costs, and a £2,000 victim services surcharge. Miah personally must pay a £2,000 fine, £877 in prosecution costs, and £500 victim services surcharge.

Councillor Norma Mackie, cabinet member for Shared Regulatory Services, said: “The extent of pests at this business was considerable and the efforts taken by the defendant to deal with the problem were limited. Much more should have and could have been done to remedy the failures.”