A branch of the Tesco supermarket chain in Dublin was closed down yesterday evening after notification of a serious vermin infestation. The Northern Area Health board issued a closure order under the Food Safety Authority Act on the supermarket at the Park Shopping Centre in Stoneybatter. Health Board officials say that Tesco management are co-operating with them. The inspection, which led to the store's closure, was due to a complaint made by a consumer to the Environmental Health Office of the Northern Area Health Board.
Speaking on the News at One, Alan Reilly, Director of Operations at the Food Safety Authority, described conditions at Tesco in Prussia Street as "disgusting" and posing a "grave and immediate danger to public health". He said that the supermarket was infested with live mice, but environmental officers also found dead mice and mice droppings on the premises.
Confirming that the store has been closed a spokeswoman for Tesco Ireland said that the company is working to eliminate the problem and will reopen as soon as possible.
