A COUNCILLOR'S grocery store has failed an environmental health inspection for the second time in four months.

Officials have now launched an investigation which could see Coun Hussain Akhtar prosecuted under environmental health laws.

Officers discovered mouse droppings inside a back store in Akhtar's Food Store, Whalley Range, Blackburn, after carrying out an inspection last week.

It is owned by the Shear Brow councillor, who accepted a formal council caution four months ago after his shop failed another inspection.

Mouse droppings were found in the storeroom then, too.

Today, Coun Akhtar said he was not at the shop at the time the inspection took place.

A spokesman for Blackburn with Darwen Council said: "An inspection was carried out during which mouse droppings were found.

"Environmental health officers are trained to know what things like mouse droppings are and there is no doubt about what they are.

"As a result, the enforcement action has begun against the owner.

"The first step is for him to be interviewed by the environmental health department within the next fortnight."

From there, a decision will be taken whether to offer Coun Akhtar a fresh caution, or whether to prosecute him.

Council rules state that a caution is only offered once.

Coun Kate Hollern, leader of the council, said: "Councillors have to be treated like everybody else and be seen to be treated like everybody else.

"We told him to make sure this didn't happen again and I will be talking to him about it."

Coun Akhtar recently launched a campaign for people to help clean up the area.

He said: "I wasn't in the shop at the time. I am trying to find out what happened but I can't say anything else at the moment."

Director of regeneration, housing and neighbourhoods, Adam Scott said: "A routine inspection was carried out at the premises.

"During this inspection, evidence of an infestation was found, which is now being investigated by environmental health officers.

"There was no need to close the shop."

A similar check-up, carried out on March 30, resulted in officers finding mouse droppings inside Akhtar's Food Store.

For that offence, he was given an official caution -- which involves giving an undertaking that it won't happen again.

Coun Akhtar has been in the retail trade since 1972.

This is his third brush with the council's enforcement officers this year.

On February 26, Coun Akhtar received a £1,000 fine and was ordered to pay £615 costs by Blackburn magistrates after admitting four offences of selling food past its use-by date and one of selling food which was not labelled in English.