A BAKERY owner who helped secure his village a top business award has been ordered to pay £8,000 after inspectors found his shop infested with beetles and mouse droppings.

Anthony Clarke, of Hanley Swan Village Bakery, ran a "filthy" operation and had put public safety at risk for 12 months when Environmental Health officials caught up with him in May last year.

Officers from Malvern Hills District Council, checking the bakery to make sure improvements had been made since their last inspection in July 1999, found equipment caked with grease and food, dirty and broken fridges and a "filthy", cracked floor.

The bench at Evesham Magistrates Court heard the inspectors also discovered mouse droppings, a hand-washing basin which had not been used and an infestation of flour beetles.

Stephanie Ingram, commercial team manager at the council's health department, said staff had worked with Clarke for nearly two years to improve the situation before they were forced to take legal action.

But she added after the prosecution began, the clean-up was carried out "immediately."

"Mr Clarke did not seem to take on board what needed to be done or that there was a problem," said Mrs Ingram, who carried out the inspection in May.

"He had first been told to improve conditions in July, 1999 and despite reminders, had failed to carry out sufficient improvements by May, 2000.

"He could not be allowed to carry on. He was putting people at risk. It is unfortunate we had to resort to prosecution to improve the situation - it was the last resort."

Clarke, whose shop helped secure Hanley Swan an award in last year's Great Britain Village of the Year competition, admitted four breaches of the Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995.

He was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £3,000 costs.

Speaking today, Clarke vowed to continue trading, claiming ill-health and caring for his elderly parents had led to a drop in his usual standards of cleanliness.

"It was a temporary lapse," he said.

"I couldn't put as much into my business as I wanted or had done in the past because I had to nurse my mother and father."