Retailer's £2M hygiene penalty
B&M Retail fined £2 million for widespread mouse infestations at three Birmingham stores
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Key Points
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On 11 November 2024, Birmingham City Council inspectors visited the B&M at St Andrew's Retail Park and found significant evidence of mouse activity, including droppings and gnawed food on sale, prompting a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice and immediate store closure.
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At the Priory Square Shopping Centre store, the January 22, 2025 inspection uncovered an active mouse infestation with gnawed food, mouse droppings and urine contamination on packaging and shelving, alongside inadequate cleaning standards and structural defects enabling pest entry, leading to a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice and closure.
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A later inspection on October 27, 2025 at The Fort Shopping Park in Erdington found widespread mouse activity, including droppings on the shop floor and in storage areas, with droppings also found in close proximity to children’s toys; the premises were closed under a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice.
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The court fined B&M Retail Ltd £2 million for the offences, and ordered payment of prosecution costs £18,104 and a £2,000 victim surcharge, with payment due within 28 days; the sentencing hearing took place on 13 July.
B&M Retail Ltd has been fined £2 million after mouse infestations were found at three of its Birmingham stores, according to Manchester Evening News. Birmingham Magistrates' Court handed down the penalty on 13 July, making it one of the largest food hygiene fines seen in a UK retail case.
Inspectors from Birmingham City Council found mouse droppings, gnawed food, and urine on packaging at all three sites. The stores were shut on the spot. On top of the £2 million fine, B&M must pay £18,104 in prosecution costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge — all within 28 days, Mirror reported.
Mouse Droppings Found on Food Sold to Customers
The first red flag came on 11 November 2024. Council inspectors visited B&M's St Andrew's Retail Park store and found clear signs of mouse activity. There were droppings and gnawed food still on the shelves for sale, Daily Star reported. Inspectors issued a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice — a legal order to shut the store immediately.
A Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice means a business cannot reopen until it proves the risk is gone. It is one of the strongest tools environmental health officers have. The St Andrew's store was closed the same day inspectors arrived.
Priory Square Store Shut After Urine Found on Packaging
On 22 January 2025, inspectors moved to the Priory Square Shopping Centre store. What they found was worse. There was an active mouse infestation. Droppings and urine contaminated food packaging and shelving, Yahoo News reported. Cleaning standards were poor. Structural defects in the building were letting mice get inside.
A second Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice was issued. The Priory Square store was also closed. Two B&M stores in the same city had now been shut within ten weeks of each other — both for the same core problem.
Droppings Found Next to Children's Toys at Third Store
The third case came on 27 October 2025 at The Fort Shopping Park in Erdington. Inspectors found mouse droppings across the shop floor and in storage areas. Critically, droppings were also found close to children's toys, Head Topics reported. A third Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice was issued and the store was shut.
The spread across three stores over nearly a year showed this was not a one-off failure. Birmingham City Council's environmental health team built a case spanning November 2024 through October 2025 before bringing it to court.
£2 Million Fine Follows Customer Tip-Off That Started It All
The investigation began after a customer reported seeing a mouse at one of the stores, Manchester Evening News reported. That single complaint set off a chain of inspections across multiple sites. Birmingham Magistrates' Court ultimately fined B&M £2 million — the headline figure — plus costs totalling just over £20,000.
B&M Retail Ltd is a major UK discount retailer with hundreds of stores nationwide. The £2 million penalty sends a clear signal to large retailers that poor pest control carries serious legal consequences. The company must pay the full amount within 28 days of sentencing.
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