"Serious health consequences for customers" - Mouse infestation discovered at Northend Kebab leads to hefty council fine
A kebab house in Portsmouth has been fined after a mouse infestation was discovered by council health officers.
A routine hygiene inspection of Northend Kebab on London Road in August 2024 found mouse dropping throughout the kitchen and storerooms. After the business voluntarily closed to deal with the issue, a follow-up visit saw the business served with 10 Food Hygiene Improvement Notices regarding structural and management of food safety issues.
In a subsequent visit in February 2025, the council still found that four of the hygiene notices had not been complied with. Adil Mahmad of 10C London Road, the director of Sypan Ltd, the registered food business operator, appeared at a hearing in Portsmouth Magistrates Court on September 30, 2025.
He pleaded guilty to seven food hygiene offences relating to the mouse infestation and non-compliance with notices and was issued a fine of £8,000, plus a £2,000 victim surcharge. The limited company was also ordered to pay costs of £3,537.78.
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A Portsmouth City Council spokesperson said: "Poor food hygiene standards like those found at Northend Kebab can have really serious health consequences for customers, who rightly expect food they're paying for to be prepared in a safe, clean environment.
"This successful court action is the result of proactive work by our environmental health team, who work alongside city businesses to ensure food being sold is safe.
"Thankfully the vast majority of food sellers in Portsmouth uphold good hygiene practices, and we always recommend people check a business's food rating before they order."
As well as Mahmad, Mustafa Gulek of Tankerton Close, Portsmouth, who manages the business, pleaded guilty to three hygiene offences in relation to the mouse infestation. He was fined £733, plus a victim surcharge of £293.
Northend Kebab currently have a food hygiene rating of three out of five. Further details can be found on https://ratings.food.gov.uk/