Hefty Fine for Mouse-infested Hanwell Pub
Grosvenor owners ordered to pay £52,000 after droppings found in kitchen
The Grosvenor pub in Hanwell
May 14, 2026
A Hanwell pub has been ordered to pay more than £52,000 after Ealing Council inspectors uncovered a serious and persistent mouse infestation during multiple food safety visits.
The Grosvenor, on Oaklands Road, was prosecuted after council officers found widespread evidence of mice in the kitchen and basement throughout 2024. Droppings were discovered on food preparation surfaces, equipment, shelving and floors, with some ready-to-eat food packets gnawed and contaminated.
The pub’s owners, Redcat Retail Pubs Ltd, pleaded guilty to three offences relating to poor pest control and failing to comply with a legal notice. They were sentenced at Ealing Magistrates’ Court on 22 April and ordered to pay a £37,000 fine, a £2,000 victim surcharge, and £13,362 in legal costs — a total of £52,363.
The court heard that inspectors first visited the pub on 1 February 2024 following a complaint about food poisoning. The extent of the infestation led officers to issue a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice, forcing the pub to close immediately due to the risk to public health.
The Grosvenor was allowed to reopen on 14 February 2024 after remedial work, but a further unannounced inspection in July 2024 again found mouse droppings in the basement. The business was given a food hygiene rating of 2, meaning improvement was needed, and served with a Hygiene Improvement Notice requiring proper pest control measures by 22 August.
When officers returned on 27 August, droppings were still present and the notice had not been complied with.
The pub remains open but now serves drinks only. A follow-up inspection in January 2026 awarded it a 4-star hygiene rating.
Inspectors found mouse droppings in the kitchen of the Grosvenor. Picture: Ealing Council
Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, cabinet member for decent living incomes, said the case showed the council would not hesitate to act where businesses put customers at risk.
“Rodent infestations in food businesses are completely unacceptable. They put customers at risk and show a clear failure to meet basic food hygiene standards. When businesses ignore the law, we will take firm action to protect residents and hold those responsible to account.”
Rodents can spread harmful bacteria and contaminate food, posing a serious risk of illness. All food businesses are legally required to keep premises clean and free from pests. Ealing Council carries out unannounced inspections across the borough and can close businesses or bring prosecutions when standards fall short.
Residents with concerns about a food business can contact the council’s food safety team at foodsafety@ealing.gov.uk.Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |