A TAKEAWAY owner whose shop was infested with mice has been ordered to pay £6,100 in fines and costs.

Shaukhat Bhatti, owner of Openshaw Kashmiri Cuisine, on Fairfield Road, was fined £2,500 plus £3,600 in costs after mouse droppings were found in the kitchen and on food shelves.

Bhatti, of Norfolk Street, Oldham, has missed 11 court hearings since environmental health officers first visited his shop in January 2008. He was finally arrested and brought before Manchester magistrates' court.

The takeaway was closed for eight days while the infestation was dealt with.

Coun Richard Cowell said: "The size of the fine reflects how seriously the courts take this."