A SMETHWICK supermarket firm has been hit with a huge bill of more than £550k and its bosses given suspended prison sentences after repeatedly ignoring warnings over pest infestations and dangerous shelving.

Warley Supermarket (UK) Ltd, of Fenton Street, Smethwick was ordered to pay £60k for food safety offences and £480k for health and safety offences, plus costs of £16k, with the total amount payable being £556,191k.

The company runs Warley Drink Stop in Bridge Street, Wednesbury, where there were health and safety breaches as well as rat and mouse activity and Warley Supermarket on St Paul's Road, Smethwick, which has now closed, where there were food hygiene offences, including Indian meal moth and mouse activity.

Halesowen News:

Food contaminate by mouse droppings at Warley Supermarket. Pic: Sandwell Council 

The firm's director Mandeep Kaur Mandair was ordered to pay costs of £16,191k and received eight months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months and senior manager Raminder Mandair must pay costs of £16k and received 16 months’ imprisonment suspended for two years after pleading guilty to offences under Food Safety and Hygiene regulations and the Health & Safety at Work Act.

Raminder Mandair was also given a six-month electronic curfew between 8pm and 6am

Senior manager Sukhbir Mandair pleaded not guilty to offences under the Food Safety Hygiene Regulations but was convicted of all offences after trial and will be sentenced at a later date.

The prosecution by Sandwell Council's environmental health team, was for pest infestation and dangerous shelving following on from repeated non-compliance with enforcement notices which were served.

On 13 September the defendants appeared before Wolverhampton Crown Court for sentencing.

Mandeep Kaur Mandair was also ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid work and must pay costs of £16,191k at the rate of £1,500 per month. She was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge.

Raminder Mandair must pay costs of £16k at the rate of £1,500 per month. He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge.

Councillor Bob Piper, Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: “In Sandwell we value our local businesses and want them to continue to deliver high quality services and facilities.

"But shoppers and workers in Sandwell have the right to go about their daily business, feeling safe and protected.

"The work of Sandwell’s Environmental Health Team in bringing cases, like this one against Warley Supermarkets (UK) Ltd, helps keep us all safe and I would commend their efforts to protect us all.”