Sittingbourne Site Pleads Guilty To Offences

The owner of the 99p Store on Sittingbourne’s High Street has been fined and ordered to pay costs after it pleaded guilty to breaches of food safety regulations.

99p Stores Limited was prosecuted following a visit to the site by environment health officers in February 2014, in which there was found to be extensive evidence of vermin activity and food left unprotected from potential contamination.

According to Environmental Health News, the company pleaded guilty to offences including those related to putting unsafe food on the market.

The total fine handed down by the court was £14,288.

Expert Opinion

Retailers should ensure that any stock sold to consumers is safe and stored effectively without the risk of any possible contamination. <br/> <br/>"This is a worrying case where very serious failings have been identified which could have had a significant impact on the health and safety of the general public had the issue not been resolved. <br/> <br/>"Our work on behalf of those who have suffered illness means we have been made aware of numerous incidents where illness could have been prevented had health and safety regulations been followed. The seriousness of such issues should not be downplayed and it is vital that lessons are learned from this." Amandeep Dhillon - Partner