Busy Bees Leytonstone, a private nursery on the Leytonstone hospital’s grounds, was fined £225,000

A private nursery on Whipps Cross Hospital’s grounds was handed a huge fine for abysmal hygiene that put the health of young children at risk.
Busy Bees Leytonstone was immediately shut down by Waltham Forest Council’s environmental health officers after a routine inspection on 12th January, 2022.
Last week, a court heard inspectors at the time found “extensive evidence” of a mice infestation – including fresh droppings in the kitchen and the children’s playrooms – no soap or hot water in the toilets and “inadequate levels of cleaning” in various parts of the building.
Busy Bees, the UK’s largest nursery group, finally appeared at Thames Magistrates’ Court on 16th May this year, where the company pleaded guilty to two food safety and hygiene offences.
Khevyn Limbajee, the council’s cabinet member for community safety, said the court “rightly recognised the serious nature of the offences in this case” by fining the company £225,000 and ordering it to pay the council’s legal costs of more than £15,000.
He added: “When parents entrust their children to attend a nursery, they do so in the belief that they will be left in a safe and clean environment.
“Young children are particularly vulnerable to the diseases due to their developing immune systems. The intervention from our Food & Safety Team was crucial in preventing children from being exposed to hazardous conditions that could have impacted their health.”
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