The owner of a fish and chip shop, where dead mice were found at the premises used to prepare food, has escaped a ban which would have seen him lose his livelihood.

Mohammed Shafiq, who runs Moor Fisheries in Amberley Street, Bradford Moor, had pleaded guilty to breaching food hygiene rules before Bradford magistrates.

The 37-year-old, of Upper Castle Street, West Bowling, faced nine charges relating to the fish and chip shop and a neighbouring shop which was used to prepare food to be sold in the main premises.

He was made the subject of a supervision order for 12 months and must complete 100 hours of unpaid work. In addition he must pay a contribution of £1,000 to the costs Bradford Council incurred in bringing the case.

Magistrates turned down a call for him to be banned from working with food again.

Abigail Langford, prosecuting for the Council, told the court yesterday that environmental health officers had stumbled across the neighbouring shop in August 2007 when they made an unannounced visit to the takeaway.

They noticed an open door and someone carrying a bowl of potatoes between the two shops.

They found the kitchen in the preparation area in a “filthy” state, she said, with mouldy chopping boards, no temperature probes and two decomposing mice on a sticky board. Officers feared an “imminent risk of injury to health” and the secondary shop was closed down voluntarily for two weeks and cleaned thoroughly, she said.

Paul Milner, mitigating for Shafiq, said he ran the family business with his wife and they had expanded by cooking curries in their garage to be sold through the shop.

After complaints, he said, they had taken out the lease on the neighbouring shop and used it to prepare food for sale at the fish and chip shop. He described Shafiq as a hard-working father of five, whose takings had dropped since the “adverse publicity” surrounding the prosecution.

“The Council has continued to give advice and an imp-rovement noticed acted upon. When deficiencies have been drawn to his attention he has taken action,” said Mr Milner.

He said Shafiq had attempted to clear up the problem with mice by using sticky pads, but had since called in a pest control company. He also blamed an accumulation of rubbish in the street outside for the vermin problems.

After the case Angela Brindle, the Council’s environmental health manager, said: “We are pleased this case has come to an end but are disappointed with the outcome. Mohammed Shafiq showed a complete disregard for food safety and was content to prepare food in totally unsatisfactory premises. He did not even get the basics right.”

The fish shop has received one star out of a possible five on a website which rates hygiene levels at restaurants, takeaways and cafes. It relates to an inspection in January.