Welsh council secures £730k fine against major supermarket chain for hygiene offences

A district judge has ordered supermarket giant Morrisons to pay a £737k fine, following a prosecution brought by Torfaen County Borough Council.

Newport Magistrates’ Court also ordered WM Morrisons Supermarkets to pay the council's costs of £11,200 and a £2,000 victim surcharge.

The local authority became aware of the conditions after a routine inspection by environmental health officers in August 2024 found multiple hygiene breaches in the bakery, including poor cleanliness, unclean equipment, inadequate staff supervision, and failures in food safety management.

Daniel Morelli, Torfaen's Head of Public Protection and Environment, said the case "demonstrates the important work" of the council's officers, adding: "Their work often goes unseen, but they play a vital role in preventing ill-health through identifying non-compliances and taking action to secure necessary improvements, safeguarding the public, and reducing the cost of illness and burden on the NHS.

“Whilst every effort is made to work with businesses using an informal, educative approach, the council will not hesitate to take formal action where the health and well-being of consumers is placed at risk.”

A Morrisons spokesperson said: "We were very disappointed in the condition of the bakery in August 2024. It fell far short of the standard our customers expect and that we should provide.

"This was a single local issue which was dealt with immediately by working closely with the council. The improvement made has been consistently maintained."

Adam Carey