A BAKERY firm has been fined more than £18,000 for breaches in food hygiene at its Romsey outlet.

Cooks the Baker Ltd were prosecuted after a member of the public complained about cleanliness at The Palmerston in Market Place.

The store manager voluntarily shut up shop in 2008 after inspectors found conditions had “deteriorated seriously” over two years.

Initially, the closure was so staff could carry out a deep clean – but Cooks the Baker eventually chose not to reopen and the outlet has been empty ever since.

Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) had brought their scheduled “re-inspection” forward by a number of weeks because of the complaint.

The matter went to New Forest Magistrates Court in Lyndhurst, where Cooks the Baker Ltd were found guilty of three food hygiene contraventions and ordered to pay a fine of £15,000. They were also told to pay costs to TVBC of more than £3,000.

Councillor Sandra Hawke, portfolio holder for health, said: “In most circumstances, advice from environmental health officers will be enough to make sure that businesses comply with food safety regulations.

“When conditions are found to be seriously below standard, then immediate action is needed and, on occasion, prosecution is the appropriate course to take.

“The public have a right to feel confident that they can eat in food premises that are complying with food safety requirements. This is a very serious matter and businesses must understand that if they put the public at risk, then they could answer to the courts.”