Newcastle Butcher Shop Branded 'Serious Risk to Public Health' by Officials
Fresh Meat Newcastle Ltd, located at 395a Westgate Road, Newcastle, has been fined more than £10,000 for severe breaches of food safety and hygiene, following an unannounced inspection by an environmental health officer.
The inspection uncovered horrific conditions. Inside the shop, the floor was littered with cigarette butts, handwashing facilities were inadequate, a washbasin was broken, and the outside toilet was filthy.
Even more shocking were the conditions in the backyard, where officers found 20 black bags filled with decomposing meat, dead rats, and blood-splattered cardboard boxes. Inside the premises, kitchen knives were coated with meat debris, walls were stained with blood, and a freezer packed to the brim with chicken carcasses emitted a foul stench.
As a result of these violations, the business was fined £10,000, along with a £2,000 surcharge and £939 in legal costs. An application to strike off the company was suspended pending the outcome of the case.
The business owner failed to attend court on two occasions, leading the magistrate to find the company guilty of four food hygiene offences in his absence.
The court also heard that the owner had no formal food hygiene training, and the business lacked regular hygiene checks or a food management system—posing a serious risk to public health.
In response, the owner blamed staff negligence and claimed that neighboring businesses had been using his bins, leaving him with no space for waste disposal.
Deputy leader of Newcastle City Council, Cllr Alex Hay, who oversees regulatory services, said:"Quite rightly, people will be appalled. The conditions in this shop were truly horrendous, and I congratulate our officers for bringing this prosecution.
"The business posed a serious risk to public health due to the high quantities of raw meat processed here under unsatisfactory conditions. It is fortunate—as far as we are aware—that no one fell ill from consuming meat bought from this shop.
"There is no place for shops like Fresh Meat Newcastle in our city. I hope the substantial fine sends a strong message to any company flouting food hygiene regulations that the council will use the full force of the law to punish them. The public quite rightly expect and deserve far better than this."