The food hygiene rating at a chain coffee shop is being reviewed after customers complained of seeing cockroaches.
Brent Council says “swift action” was taken after several customers reported that the Costa branch in High Street, Harlesden, has suffered an infestation of the insects over recent weeks.
Many people were revolted after a post was shared last Thursday (January 25) on the Love Harlesden! residents’ forum group on Facebook.
One person said: “Popped into Harlesden Costa this morning, which I don’t usually do, and now I know why – horrifically saw roaches crawling around. Disgusting.”
Several pictures were published, showing what appeared to be cockroaches on the shop floor and near the counter.
Such claims had also been made by other customers on the branch's Google review page – with reviews mentioning the problem going back as far as four weeks.
On the Google review page, one person under the name ‘Mr J’ wrote: “Went in to Costa today and right at the till is a cockroach. The man put a cup on top and left it on the counter while serving people. Twenty minutes later, it is still under the cup, also table and chairs are dirty and they seem to allow customers to put their feet on the sofa area with no socks on! ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING!”
The Costa branch was closed on Friday (January 26) in response to the reports.
Cllr Harbi Farah, cabinet member for safer communities and public protection, said: “Our food hygiene team arrived on site on Friday and closed the premises due to a cockroach infestation. We take food hygiene seriously and will take swift action when standards are not met.
“We are going back to the business today [January 29] to review the branch.”
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At present, The Harlesden Costa branch holds a 5/5 food hygiene rating after an inspection on January 24, 2023 as feedback from the inspections on Friday and today have not yet been published.
A Costa Coffee spokesperson said: “We take the hygiene and cleanliness of our stores very seriously and have robust cleaning procedures in place in all stores. Since being made aware of this issue, our franchise partner, that owns and operates the store, has taken immediate action to rectify the matter."
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