A fish pie-maker has been ordered to stop production after inspectors found mouse droppings and live rodents at its premises.
Neil Cavner and Sons Seafood Ltd, of Melton, has been prevented from operating as a food business until the risk to public health from the vermin is removed.
Leicester Magistrates' Court heard inspectors from Melton Borough Council found extensive mouse activity throughout the Leicester Road Industrial Estate building, including live rodents and droppings, during a routine inspection.
Chris Ashford, senior environmental health officer, told the court: "In the kitchen area I immediately found mouse droppings on food preparation surfaces, on shelving below equipment, in a cupboard containing food packaging and on the floor."
As the kitchen was being used to prepare and cook fish pies, Mr Ashford was concerned the mouse activity presented an imminent risk to health and asked the food-handlers to stop their work.
More mouse droppings were found on two shrink-wrapping machines, behind a fridge and vacuum-packer and in the cupboards under work surfaces.
"In one of the cupboards there was a large number of droppings, a strong smell of mice and I saw a bag of rice that appeared to have been gnawed.
"Later, when Mr Cavner was removing the food, I saw a mouse that ran down the back of the cupboard."
Mr Ashford found more droppings in the reception area, toilet, staff room, office and main delivery area and several points where the mice could enter the building.
He immediately served Mr Cavner with a hygiene emergency prohibition notice, preventing the unit being used for food production, and gave him a notice of intending to apply for an order from the court.
Leicester magistrates agreed to the order yesterday.
The company is still able to continue its main activity, selling fish and seafood at markets from a trailer.
Mr Cavner had contacted the court to say he could not attend the hearing because he was collecting fresh fish from Grimsby.
He did not oppose the application for the order.
The court heard that Mr Cavner had admitted he did not have a pest control contract in place.
He said he had called a company two weeks previously when he had noticed droppings, but they had not visited before the inspection.
Harjit Gill, for the council, said since then "there has been a deep clean of the premises and a pest control company has been employed to deal with the problem".
Agreeing to issue the order, the magistrates granted the council's application for £340 costs.
Mr Ashford said he intended to visit the site again as soon as possible to see if it was able to reopen.
