RAT faeces covering meat and cockroaches scurrying around kitchen equipment have seen a butchers shut down amid health fears.

Health and safety bosses were left stunned when they arrived at Reading Quality Foods and Al-Muzammil Halal Meat to find a plague of rodents and critters riding roughshod around the combined store.

The disgusting revelation came to light after a tradesman visited the store to buy some meat and noticed rats scurrying about the shop floor.

A council spokesman said: "Food was found on display at Reading Quality Foods that had been gnawed and damaged by rats and contaminated with rat faeces.

"Fresh droppings were found in boxes where food was displayed. Droppings were found across the premises on the floor, on shelves, on food products and under equipment including on freezer handles.

"Live cockroaches were found at the butchers on the work surfaces and living in kitchen equipment. Cockroaches were also found within one of the freezers at Reading Quality Food.

"General conditions of the premises were poor and staff facilities were found in a filthy condition with no hot water.

"The areas outside the store were littered with large amounts of food and general waste, with disused equipment containing items encrusted with food."

It was not the first time that pest experts had warned the Northumberland Road store about its control measures, and council bosses had already warned owners they needed to co-operate with the authority's demands.

However, advice was ignored and the store was subsequently shut down by food safety experts on November 7.

Cllr Paul Gittings, Reading’s Lead Member for Consumer Services, said: "We take food violations very seriously and I want to thank both the member of the public for reporting the problem and our officers for their extensive work which has seen these stores closed.

"There is no excuse for these kinds of breaches of basic food hygiene. This sends out a clear message that public safety remains a priority and poor standards will not to be tolerated.”

Magistrates sitting at Reading Magistrates' Court ruled that the council made the correct decision in shutting down the stores.

They can not re-open until the authority is satisfied the owners have complied with food safety requirements.