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News
Rat-infested brewery shut down
Thousands of litres of beer are to be poured down the drain following the emergency closure of a UK brewery found to be overrun with rats.
Dent Brewery in Cumbria was today shut down by South Lakeland District Council until it has addressed its rat infestation, as reported by the North West Evening Mail.
Simon Rowley, assistant director of neighbourhood services, said: “The council takes public health issues very seriously and will carry out a thorough investigation of potential breaches of hygiene regulations.
“Businesses that are selling or making products for human consumption have a responsibility to do so in a safe and hygienic manner.”
The closure follows a visit to the brewery by heath officials on 16 June.
A Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice was served on the brewery on July 7, resulting in the seizure of 600kg of malt and grain and about 4,000 litres of brewing beer.
Today the brewery told the Westmorland Gazette that it would do “everything in its power” to rectify the problem.
A spokesperson told the paper: “We have checked all our products to make sure it doesn’t get into the marketplace and have alerted landlords and customers. Rats compromised our grain store area so a lot of grain was spoilt.
“We are working very closely with Environmental Health who are giving us a lot of support. We want to reassure the public we are doing everything in our power to make sure we are back to making a good, safe, high-quality product as soon as possible.”