Two Ealing food businesses have been handed fines totalling more than £25,000 for serious breaches of hygiene standards, including repeated infestations of mice and cockroaches.
Sciascia Storey and Co Ltd, a commercial bakery in Park Royal, and Southall Deshi Bazar Ltd, a butcher and grocery shop in Southall, were both prosecuted at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court earlier this month (8 July 2025) following investigations by Ealing Council’s food safety officers.
Sciascia Storey, based in Acton Business Centre, supplies bread and pastries to hotels and restaurants. Its director, Julian Sciascia, pleaded guilty on behalf of the company to a series of offences including failing to control pests, protect food from contamination, and keep equipment clean. The business had already been shut down twice in 2024 due to mouse infestations. It was fined £12,000 and ordered to pay £5,120 in court costs.
Southall Deshi Bazar Ltd, based in Palace Shopping Centre, and its director, Mohammed Belal, also pleaded guilty to multiple hygiene offences, including inadequate pest control and poor cleanliness. Council officers discovered both mouse and cockroach infestations during a February inspection, along with raw meat stored at unsafe temperatures. A cockroach was found dead near food for sale. The business was fined £4,000 with £2,827 in costs, while Mr Belal of Argyll Avenue in Southall was ordered to pay a £461 fine, £800 court costs and a £184 victim surcharge.
Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, the council’s cabinet member for decent living incomes, said: “These appalling cases again highlight the council’s firm commitment to holding food businesses accountable when they fail to meet hygiene standards and put public safety at risk.
“Fortunately, the majority of food businesses in the borough are responsible and take pride in maintaining clean, safe environments for their customers. We remain dedicated to supporting those businesses to grow and succeed. In recent years, we have focused on providing advice and training for food businesses, to help them earn and maintain good food hygiene rating scores.
“In rare instances like these, where serious health risks are identified, we will act decisively to protect the public. We have undertaken a record number of food hygiene inspections in recent years.”
To report an Ealing food business, email: foodsafety@ealing.gov.uk.
