A BROADWAY bakery described as filthy, overrun by mice and a serious risk to the public has been closed down by environmental health officers.

Members of the Wychavon District Council team, acting on a tip-off, visited Northwick Produce, operating from Barton's Nursery in Childswickham Road last Friday and issued an immediate emergency prohibition notice.

The council then went to Worcester Magistrates' Court on Tuesday and got the order confirmed.

It was not contested by Regis Roze, of Northwick Produce, who was in court for the hearing.

Licensing unit leader at the council, Graham Simms, who took the decision to close the premises, said: "The owner of this business had failed to register with the council and we were unaware the premises were operating. When we visited following a tip-off from another authority we found the premises were filthy and overrun by mice and were a serious risk to the public."

Debbie Herbert, commercial services manager at Wychavon, said Northwick Produce, which dealt mainly in cakes and general bakery products, was quite small, with only a couple of people working there.

The tip-off, she said, came by a quite circuitous route through people talking and then from another local authority's health team.

She said: "As a result of our inspection, Northwick Produce has been given a whole schedule of work to do before we even consider letting them re-open."

She said after the emergency closure was ordered last Friday the council had three days to go to the court to get it confirmed.

"Members of the public are our eyes and ears and so we are always interested to hear from them if they think any premises are not satisfactory," she said.

"This is especially the case in premises which are out of town and not always obvious to us."

The closure led the council to warn anyone buying food for onward sale, such as retailers and caterers, to make sure they were using reliable suppliers.

She said and one way to check was to ask the environmental health team on 01386 565015 or access www.wychavon.gov.uk/es to see whether the premises are registered.

Members of the public can also access the food register and can report complaints about food businesses on the same number. The Journal was unable to contact Mr Roze of Northwick Produce as it went to press.