Acton Pub Owner Fined For Serious Food Hygiene Breaches
Sheepwalk Tavern found to be infested with mice
Mouse droppings were found across the premises . Picture: Ealing Council
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February 6, 2026
The owner of an Acton pub has been fined more than £8,500 after inspectors found evidence of a mouse infestation and a series of food safety failings.
Rogerio Mendes, who runs the Mendes Sheepwalk Tavern in Market Place, pleaded guilty to six food hygiene offences when he appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on 23 December 2025. The charges related to failing to follow pest-control procedures, failing to keep the premises clean and properly maintained, and failing to comply with a Hygiene Improvement Notice issued by Ealing Council.
Mendes, of Harrow Road in West Kilburn, was fined £2,154 and ordered to pay £5,522 in court costs, along with an £862 victim surcharge, bringing the total to £8,538. The conviction also leaves him with a criminal record.
The court heard that the council’s food safety team had issued an emergency prohibition notice on 30 November 2023 after discovering mouse droppings and other signs of infestation. The pub was ordered to close immediately and was only allowed to reopen on 12 December 2023 once inspectors were satisfied that essential improvements had been made.
However, a follow-up inspection in June 2024 uncovered further problems, including mouse droppings in the basement drinks storage area and a lack of hot water at the only hand-washing basin in the kitchen.
The pub currently holds a food hygiene rating of 2, meaning improvement is necessary. The council says it is continuing to monitor the business and work with the operator to ensure compliance.
Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, cabinet member for decent living incomes, said the case demonstrated the importance of maintaining basic hygiene standards.
“All food businesses in the borough have a responsibility to operate safely, and failing to meet these basic standards puts the public at risk,” she said. “When inspections uncover conditions like this, despite our efforts to help business operators, we have no choice but to act firmly. We will continue to hold any business that disregards food safety rules fully to account.”
She encouraged residents to check hygiene ratings before eating out, either through the Food Standards Agency website or the Scores on the Doors app.
The council is urging anyone with concerns about a food business to contact its food safety team.
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