THE director of a company running a Premier Stores shop in Cwmbran must pay more than £8,300 after his appeal against his conviction for food hygiene offences was rejected.

Rashid Iqbal was convicted in January after an investigation by Torfaen Council’s public protection service found significant evidence of a rat infestation in the two garages behind the Edlogan Square shop in Croesyceiliog - which were being used for the storage of food for sale.

The garages were not pest proofed which allowed rats to easily access the garage.

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As a result, the goods stored in the garages had become contaminated with rat urine and droppings.

There was also evidence that rats had chewed through food packaging materials, and had been feeding off foods such as boxes of cornflakes. There were also no pre-existing procedures in place to control pests.

South Wales Argus:

The goods stored in the garages had become contaminated with rat urine and droppings. Picture: Torfaen Council.

He appealed his conviction against food hygiene offences in a hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on April 12, 2019.

Judge David Wynn Morgan refused the appeal, upholding the conviction and awarded the council its costs in defending the appeal.

Mr Iqbal, now has to pay an additional £1,380.59 on top of the original £7,015.05 he was ordered to pay following the hearing on January 11, 2019.