A RIBBLE Valley dairy farmer was fined £1,000 after environmental health officers found mouse droppings in a room used for storing milk cartons.

John Crosier, of Whinhill Dairies, Settle Road, Newsholme, pleaded guilty to contravening the Dairy Products (Hygiene) Regulations. He was also ordered to pay £75 costs by Blackburn magistrates. A similar charge against his wife, Elizabeth, was withdrawn.

Paul Timson, prosecuting on behalf of Ribble Valley Borough Council, said environmental health officer Eamon Roberts visited the dairy in August as a follow up to a visit in July, when three improvement notices had been served. While checking that the work had been carried out, Mr Roberts went into the store room, which had been the subject of a previous caution in January 1998.

He found the room was dirty, dusty and there were signs of vermin infestation.

Mr Timson said there were a large number of mouse droppings on the floor, on the pallets and on the packaging.

He said that as the cartons were loaded by hand there was a danger that milk could be contaminated. He said that rodents carry a number of diseases including salmonella.

Daniel King, defending, said Mr Crosier had operated the dairy since 1983. He has a herd of 200 cows producing between seven and eight hundred gallons of milk a day.

"They have been visited on a number of occasions and they have bent over backwards to carry out improvements as requested," said Mr King.

"Since this visit in August they have taken every conceivable step to make sure the area is acceptable."

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