(Image: Torfaen Council)
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A major supermarket chain has been hit with a fine of more than £700,000 after hygiene inspectors discovered its in-store bakery in a filthy and disorganised state.
The sentence
WM Morrison Supermarkets, which had entered a guilty plea to charges under the Food Hygiene (Wales) Regulations, was fined £737,000 at Newport Magistrates’ Court. The company was also ordered to pay Torfaen Council’s prosecution costs of £11,221 and a victim surcharge of £2,000. The fine reflected a discount for the early guilty plea.
District Judge Sophie Toms said the failings were not the result of one or two rogue members of staff. She described serious and systemic failures running through all levels of the organisation, and said the entire team would have been able to see the deteriorating condition of the bakery.
What inspectors found
On the morning of August 2, 2024, food and hygiene officers from Torfaen Council attended the Morrisons store on Grange Road, Cwmbran, for a routine inspection. Prosecutor Lee Reynolds told the court that conditions inside the bakery fell “well below” expected standards.
Dirt and grime had built up on the floor in one area to a depth of roughly a quarter of an inch. Trays, bowls, wrapping and weighing equipment, and doughnut filling machines were all found to be dirty. Food preparation and packaging tables, shelving, floors, and the wash hand basin were in a similar state.
Ovens and proving equipment were dirty both inside and out, with several door handles encrusted with congealed flour and food debris. The bakery was described as “cluttered and generally disorganised”, which made it impossible to clean and disinfect the area properly.
Safety system failings
Inspectors also identified gaps and deficiencies in the logbooks that form part of the store’s food safety management system. These showed that food safety controls were not being properly followed and had not been maintained.
Of particular concern, the court heard, was evidence that management had previously identified many of the same problems on more than one occasion – yet nothing had been done to address them.
Closure and reopening
Following the inspection, Morrisons voluntarily shut down the bakery – with the exception of the cake shop – while a deep clean was carried out. Torfaen Council permitted the facility to reopen on August 5.
Council response
Daniel Morelli, head of public protection and environment at Torfaen Council, said after the sentencing: “This case demonstrates the important work of our officers in carrying out independent checks to ensure the food we buy is safe to eat.
“Their work often goes unseen, but they play a vital role in preventing ill-health through identifying non-compliances and taking action to secure necessary improvements, safeguarding the public, and reducing the cost of illness and burden on the NHS.
“Whilst every effort is made to work with businesses using an informal, educative approach, the council will not hesitate to take formal action where the health and well-being of consumers is placed at risk.”
Morrisons’ response
A spokeswoman for Morrisons said the company was “very disappointed” in the condition of the bakery in August 2024, which fell “far short of the standard our customers expect and that we should provide”. She described it as a “single local issue which was dealt with immediately by working closely with the council” and said improvements had been consistently maintained since.
