MAGISTRATES have ordered the arrest of a greengrocer after hearing how rats infested his shop and the food he was selling.

Food hygiene officer Kerry Bell told the court she found rat droppings on the shop floor and food display shelves, broken food packages and signs that rats had been eating the food inside them at Gary Michael Anderson’s greengrocers.

The shop, in the main shopping street in Acomb, York, stank and had mouldy blackberries, satsumas and bananas for sale.

Magistrates now want to make a food hygiene protection order banning Anderson from working in the food industry - which would force him to close his shop Andersons of Acomb.

Bench chairman Ian Nicholson said: “He persistently refused to take measures to protect customers.

“We found a flagrant disregard of the law over a protracted period. Multiple attempts were made to assist Mr Anderson, which he largely ignored.

“This is an appalling example of putting other businesses at risk, and we suspect the public too.”

They heard evidence that the rats left their traces in the upper room of a neighbouring charity shop that was used by elderly volunteers to sort through public donations.

They convicted him of eight charges under food hygiene, pest control, consumer protection and waste disposal laws, all committed between June 2016 and August 2017, and which Anderson, 54, of Northfield Lane, Riccall, denied.

They issued a warrant for his arrest so they can make the banning order.

Anderson had admitted a further waste disposal charge relating to June 2016 and three more food hygiene charges committed in September 2016 at an earlier hearing. He did not attend his trial, claiming he was ill.

City of York Council environment health and neighbourhood enforcement officers told York magistrates how he repeatedly failed to clean up his greengrocers in York Street, Acomb, remove the rats and clear out contaminated food.

He wrongly displayed a “five stars” food hygiene rating, that related to an inspection before he took over the shop in 2010.

Under Anderson’s management the shop received a “two stars” rating in 2014 and 2015.

Neighbourhood enforcement officer Craig Delorenzo said waste food from Anderson’s shop was found in the rubbish bin of a neighbouring food shop, Anderson consistently refused to tell the council where he was sending waste from his shop and submitted forged documents claiming he had given waste food to a farmer as animal food.

“This is a pretty severe case I would say of someone who isn’t controlling their waste and doesn’t have any systems in place,” he told the court.

Anderson was convicted of five charges of offering mouldy food for sale and mislabelling fruit in 2011 in the same shop.

Magistrates praised the two council departments for their work. During the investigation, the council closed the shop premises until they were properly cleaned, the waste food removed and the rats were eliminated, but allowed Anderson to sell from the pavement outside provided all stock was kept in his van overnight.

Cllr Sam Lisle, the council’s executive member for housing and safer neighbourhoods said the “vast majority” of local businesses had safe hygiene and waste disposal systems.