Merseyside shop given worst possible food hygiene rating as toilet with mouse droppings used as kitchen

Wirral Council said major steps needed to be taken to address the issues found.

The Go Local at 147 Ford Road in Upton was inspected on April 30 2025 by Wirral Council. The shop, linked to Pareto Retail Ltd, was given the worst possible rating and told “major improvement is necessary”.

The shop was previously a Bargain Booze. Wirral Council in the April food hygiene report, produced following the inspection, said it had not been notified of the change in branding and a legally-required new food business registration needed to be submitted.

The full food hygiene report, released following a Freedom of Information request, said: “There was evidence of mice activity in the staff toilet at the rear of the storeroom as there were several droppings found on the floor in the toilet and on the worktop in the ante space.

“They did appear to be old and crumbly suggesting historic activity, but as historic activity was also found at the last inspection, it would seem that you are not managing the situation well.”

The report said the shop needed to make sure it was controlling pests and required a deep clean and disinfection of the toilet and storerooms to remove all droppings. The shop was also told to inspect the premises daily to detect evidence of mice.

Concerns were also raised about the lack of ventilation towards the back of the shop. The shop was also criticised for using the ante space for the toilet to store stock and “should also not be used as a staff kitchen”.

The floor of the rear storage rooms was also found to be dirty and evidence of a leaking roof was found in one. The shop was also told a rear door needed sorting because there was a gap.

Food hygiene inspectors also raised concerns about an absence of records related to equipment, maintenance, cleaning, waste management, pest control activities, approved suppliers, and staff training. Staff also said they were not aware of any risk assessments when asked for them.

Staff told the council “currently no records were being kept which is disappointing given the extensive information forwarded to you after the last inspection.”

The report added: “There did not appear to be any cleaning schedule and based on the conditions in the back of shop the cleaning is evidently not high on the agenda. As there is evidence of repeated historic infestation, it is imperative that you keep the storage area floor clear and clean so staff can monitor quickly and easily every day for pest activity.”

The April report said if progress was not taken in the four weeks since, the council felt it would be necessary to serve an enforcement notice. This was because many of the same issues were present at a previous inspection.

The shop at 147 Ford Road was approached for comment.