Bakery shut down after pigeon and cockroach infestation
Health inspectors from Waltham Forest Council investigated Breadcraft Bakery in Leyton, after receiving a number of complaints about the business from neighbours.
Inspectors discovered pigeons wandering through the stockrooms and cockroaches in among products and supplies at the company.
Pigeons can spread diseases including histoplasmosis and cryptococcosis, which can both be fatal to humans.
The council secured a closure order for the business from Thames Magistrates’ Court in late October.
‘Prepared to risk the health of his customers’
Councillor Clyde Loakes, deputy leader and cabinet member for the environment, said: “For the sake of some dough this unscrupulous baker was prepared to risk the health of his customers.
“What a half-baked idea – and now his pigeons have really come home to roost as he has been ordered to close before his irresponsibility harms someone.”
The closure of Breadcraft followed a number of food and drink firms in the area that had been shut down this year for breaches of health and safety.
In September, inspectors discovered a “well-established” mouse infestation at the Walthamstow bakery Déjà Vu, with mouse droppings found in bags of flour, food packaging and drinking glasses.
‘Well-established’ mouse infestation
A cockroach found in food packaging unwrapped by a customer of BBQ Express in Leyton resulted in the business’s closure.
“Keeping our residents safe is always our first priority,” added Loakes. “The environmental health team works extremely hard to make sure businesses serving the Waltham Forest community are clean and hygienic.”
Meanwhile, last month, a London-based bakery was forced to pay costs of more than £1,500, after an infestation of cockroaches closed down the business.
London Wholesale Bakery in Coppen Road, Dagenham, was shut down on October 5 after health inspectors found “a kitchen full of cockroaches”.
