Filth and rats found at a Pembroke pub have resulted in a bill of more than £10,000 for the management.

The partnership running the Watermans Arms, The Green, Pembroke, Hannah Clode and Robert Morgan, appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates today (Wednesday) to face six joint charges relating to food hygiene.

The pair, who took over the business in 2015, pleaded guilty to all offences of failing to comply with regulations.

Jeff Harries, prosecuting on behalf of Pembrokeshire County Council, told the court that an inspector who visited the establishment on March 22, found filthy conditions and evidence of rodents.

He added that there was an accumulation of dirt, charred metal surfaces, and grease running down the back of the cooker.

The bench was also told that a cooked ham was found sitting in a pool of blood when the fridge was opened by the inspector, who discovered that blood had spilt throughout, causing a foul smell and a risk of contamination and E.coli.

There were also concerns about food being cooked at appropriate temperatures, poor record keeping and a lack of training.

Mr Harries said: “The officer noticed what appeared to be fresh rodent droppings in the cellar.

"The floor was filthy and the walls were mouldy.”

He added: “The door frame of the cellar had been gnawed recently, indicating a real risk of rodents still being in the cellar.

A live rat was immediately found when a pest control company was called out, and traps were set.

Mr Harries told the court that Clode and Morgan had fully cooperated and moved swiftly to remedy the situation.

Progress had been noted in follow up visits, with staff training, satisfactory documentation and a much cleaner kitchen.

The court heard that Clode had expressed remorse and an intention to continue with improvements at the business in a letter following an interview, which added that she had become ‘distracted’ from her role after the arrival of her third child, and naïvely put her trust in the chefs.

Mr Harries added that there had been no incidents of food poisoning due to the standards.

Andrew Manners, defending, said that his clients had gone ‘above and beyond’ what was expected to deal with the issues found, and had voluntarily closed the kitchen for improvements to be made.

He said: “Remedial action was immediately taken and the equipment was updated.”

Magistrates fined Clode and Morgan £4,000 each and ordered them to pay £2,020.49 in prosecution costs and a £170 surcharge.

The chairman of the bench said that he was delighted to see improvements had been made.

He added: “Any chef worth his salt would never leave a kitchen in that condition.

“The buck stops with you. You have to make sure that your staff maintain your standards.

“I hope things go better for you in future.”

Afterward the court case, the county council cabinet member for housing and regulatory services, Pat Davies, stressed that the authority would not hesitate in the future to take action where serious contraventions of legislation were discovered by authorised officers.

Cllr Davies continued: “The level of fine demonstrates the serious nature of the breaches and spells out a clear message to all businesses to manage food safety effectively.

“This includes issues relating to pest control and taking action in their premises to prevent the risk of cross contamination of foods with harmful food poisoning bacteria, through a documented system.

“This system must be communicated, understood and implemented by all staff involved in food handling and preparation.”

Cllr Davies urged any business struggling to understand and apply food safety and standards requirements, to contact the authority’s public protection division which is able to offer consultancy visits and provide bespoke support and compliance advice.

“While we could not excuse the breaches identified at the premises, the business fully co-operated with the council in dealing promptly with the highlighted risks.

“I am also pleased to report that at the most recent inspection of the Watermans Arms, since this incident, standards have improved and been maintained.

“The premises has now been awarded a Food Hygiene Rating of 5, which is ‘Very Good’ under the statutory food hygiene rating scheme.”