Corner Café, located on Prescot Road, has been fined after pleading guilty to 12 breaches of food safety and hygiene regulations.
Liverpool City Council’s Environmental Health Officers discovered multiple issues over two separate visits last year.
At the time of the offences Corner Café, operated by The Corner Cafe Liverpool Limited, was open to the public as a sit-in café and takeaway.
When officers visited the café last June, they discovered the premises was infested with mice.
Mouse droppings were found throughout the café, including on and beneath cooking equipment, and in direct contact with food.
A live mouse was also seen in a hole behind a cooker in the kitchen.
Officers found that the business was not taking sufficient steps to address the pest infestation, despite remaining open to the public.
The condition of the premises was so unhygienic that it was immediately closed by Officers because they determined it posed an imminent risk to health.
Mice are known carriers of diseases that can be passed to humans, including Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria and Hantavirus, which can cause serious illness, particularly among vulnerable groups.
Following this inspection, the café was awarded the lowest possible Food Hygiene Rating of 0 (urgent improvement necessary).
Officers returned in November 2025 for a second inspection. During this visit, further evidence of rodent activity was found, including mouse droppings.
Grease had accumulated within the premises, and food debris was discovered behind equipment.
Food almost a week out of date was also discovered within the kitchen.
Although pest activity remained evident, officers did not identify an imminent risk to health, and the premises was not subject to closure.
Instead, it was awarded a Food Hygiene Rating of 1 (major improvement necessary).
Coner Café pleaded guilty to breaching food safety and hygiene regulations at Liverpool Magistrates Court in September this year and were sentenced on Thursday 29 October.
The business was ordered to pay £2,700 by the courts and currently holds a food hygiene rating of 1.
The Council’s Environmental Health service operates the national Food Hygiene Rating Scheme in the city. The public can check the food hygiene rating of most food business in Liverpool by visiting www.food.gov.uk/ratings
Councillor Harry Doyle, Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Culture said: “Food businesses have a legal responsibility to maintain proper hygiene standards and protect their customers from harm. The conditions our officers found at Corner Café on repeated visits fell far below what residents should expect when eating out.
“The presence of mice, evidence of contamination and poor food hygiene practices presented an unacceptable risk to public health. Despite being given opportunities to address these issues, significant concerns remained.
“We will not hesitate to take enforcement action where businesses fail to meet their obligations. Food hygiene ratings are there to help people make informed choices, and I would encourage residents to check them before deciding where to eat.”
