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Butcher cleans up after fine
AN AWARD-winning Kentish butchery has been fined £10,000 after traces of mice were found in its shop in The Maidstone Mall. The 50th anniversary celebrations
of J. C. Rook and Sons Ltd were marred in March last year when in- spectors found vermin had been present in its premises on the lower floor of the shopping centre. Bosses of the family firm took im- mediate action, voluntarily closing the shop for 11 days. They dis- missed three employees and imple- mented a new food safety system. The store now has five stars – the council’s highest hygiene rating. The company, which owns 11
shops in Kent and runs a lucrative online business, admitted four breaches of food safety and hygiene regulations when it appeared at Medway magistrates. It was fined £10,400 plus costs, bringing the total to over £34,610. In a statement, directors Chris and AndrewRook said: “This incident at The Mall, Maidstone,was the first of its kind in any of our shops in 51 years of trading and we are deeply sorry that this has happened. “We wish to reassure our cus- tomers and suppliers thatwe did all we could as promptly as possible to rectify the situation and this is by no means a true reflection of the rest of our business.” Company finance manager Julie
Rook said: “Our customer loyalty has been outstanding and they ap-
preciate we were caught up in something which was not entirely our own fault. “Mice were not unknown in The
Mall in Maidstone and the poor con- dition of The Mall pipework ... meant that mice could penetrate our premises. Another shop in the cen- tre also suffered an incident thatwas widely reported in the press.” Suzie Brindle, marketing manager
at the Mall, said: “While we make every effort to support and advise our tenants, the cleanliness of the units they occupy is their responsi- bility and they are obliged to main- tain the highest hygiene standards. “We have a comprehensive pest control contract and take expert ad- vice in all such matter. So far, no major issues have been identified.” Tracey Beattie, Maidstone Coun-
cil’s environmental health manager, said: “We have been working closely with J. C. Rook and Sons Ltd at The Mall to implement a number of changes to theway they manage their food safety and hygiene in- cluding a new pest control system.”
Rose back for concert
YALDING Church is playing host to a celebration of choral music. On Saturday, June 18, the Baroque Singers, a TunbridgeWells chamber
choir, with a strong Yalding contingent and directed by Laddingford’s own Anthony Purnell, will perform a miscellany of songs and the me- dieval Carmina Burana. Guest soloist Yalding-born mezzo-soprano Rose Martin (pic- tured) will perform folk songs and 18th century operatic arias by Handel, Gluck and Mozart, accom- panied by Cancionero. The choir will sing British folk
songs and songs from overseas. As well as a range of medieval instruments, Anne Purnell will play the hurdy gurdy and Tim Garside will play percussion. At 16, Rose was awarded a scholarship to study at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester. Shewent on to read music at King's College London and now enjoys a varied career as amember of several choral ensembles, including the Platinum Consort, the Erebus Ensemble and Siglo de Oro. Rose has also sung with The Sixteen and Gabrielli Consort and co-
founded the Fieri Consort in 2012,. Her parents Karen and Kevin still live in Oast Court. The concert starts at 7.30pm and tickets are available from the Post Of- fice and online.
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