Latest News - Prosecutions

A company that formally ran The Cottage Inn on Kingswinford High Street has been ordered to pay more than £23,000, following a prosecution brought by Dudley Council at Dudley Magistrates’ Court last week.

Guilty pleas were confirmed during the court hearing on 30 July 2025, for multiple food safety offences, with offences relating to two separate visits carried out by council officers in October 2023 and July 2024.

The first visit, conducted on 3 October 2023, followed a complaint about a mouse sighting at the premises. Officers discovered two dead mice in the ground floor boiler room and another under the sink in the first-floor kitchen.

Mouse droppings were found in several areas, including the cellar, cleaning cupboard, food storeroom, bar, and kitchen. The premises also showed signs of poor cleaning standards, with greasy surfaces and structural neglect.

Pest proofing was inadequate, and the food safety management system was not being properly implemented. Due to the immediate risk to public health, the council exercised emergency powers under the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013. The business was allowed to reopen after officers confirmed that all necessary cleaning and pest control measures had been completed and that there was no evidence of ongoing pest activity.

A visit on 23 July 2024 revealed further breaches, with officers finding several food items past their use-by dates, including mixed grills, stilton cheese, faggots, and coleslaw.

The court ordered the company, Cottage 2021 Limited, to pay £8,000 for the October 2023 pest control offence and £12,000 for the July 2024 unsafe food offence, along with a victim surcharge of £2,000 and prosecution costs of £1,408.

Pub director, Samuel Dainter, entered guilty pleas to six food safety offences and was sentenced at Dudley Magistrates’ Court on 15 January 2025.

The company has now ceased trading.

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