Tesco removes hygiene rating - then it reappears
BBCA Tesco store took down a sticker displaying its poor food hygiene rating to customers, before putting it back up after the BBC pointed it out.
Wandsworth Council has told Tesco Express in Clapham Junction that improvement was necessary after inspectors found evidence of mouse droppings and gave the shop a score of two stars.
The sticker with the rating disappeared last month shortly after the BBC requested the inspection report from the council.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is pushing for the mandatory display of ratings in England. Tesco said its policy was to display all ratings and it is addressing the mouse problem.
In the most recent inspection at the Clapham Junction branch, which took place in November 2025, officials found mouse droppings in the warehouse next to the office and staff room.
The inspection report, obtained by the BBC, said it had been clear that mouse activity was not regularly monitored, since the droppings were not spotted by any member of staff.
Staff were also found to be failing to implement a food safety management procedure that had been put in place, particularly in relation to pest activity monitoring.
Officials called for more staff training and urged the store to fill gaps in walls, doors, windows, pipes and drains to help deter pests.
Inspectors also said no hygienic hand drying material was available in the staff toilet.
All the report's findings were listed as "immediate and ongoing" legal requirements.
A council compliance visit two weeks after the November inspection led to no increase in rating, and no further inspections are currently planned.
Most mainstream supermarkets in the UK have the highest rating of five, but a handful have the lowest ratings - with mice a frequent issue.
In a more serious case in March, Iceland was fined £300,000 after inspectors found rodents had gnawed through crisp packets in an east London store.
An undercover investigation by BBC London in 2024 found many businesses were displaying inaccurate food hygiene ratings.
One shopper we spoke to outside the Clapham Junction store told us her friend had flagged the low rating after spotting the sticker.
Others were surprised by it. Shopper Rohan Graham said: "I'm not very comfortable knowing I've just bought food from there - thankfully it's packaged."
Another, Angela Sankey, who was carrying her items out of the store, said Tesco "should be doing better".
A Tesco spokesperson said: "We set ourselves the highest store standards and take hygiene extremely seriously, with comprehensive cleaning and food safety processes in place across all of our stores."
It said the majority of its stores have the highest hygiene rating of five, and intends to apply for a re-inspection of the Clapham Junction store.
