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A Tesco supermarket in upmarket Highgate was today named as one of Britain’s filthiest food shops.

The shop in Swain’s Lane is one of just 14 in the country to have been given a “zero” rating by inspectors.

It was closed for a day in April after officers discovered a mouse infestation.

Staff had to thoroughly clean the building and put in pest control measures to prevent further infestation, before reopening.

Four other stores in the capital also received the lowest rating: Fine Foods in Harlesden, Sira Cash & Carry in Southall, Abbey Wood Afro Caribbean Cash & Carry in Willesden and Cheam Food Centre in Sutton.

The businesses were among 11,440 shops tested across England, Wales and Northern Ireland by local authority inspectors to protect customers from food poisoning.

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A Tesco spokesman said today: "We take the hygiene standards in our stores very seriously and receive the best possible food hygiene ratings in the vast majority of our stores.

"Earlier this year, we voluntarily closed our Swain's Lane Express store for two days to deal with a pest issue. We cooperated fully with the local authority officers and the store conditions have now vastly improved."

The zero rating means a shop fell dramatically short of hygiene guidelines and that ‘urgent improvement is necessary’.

It also means they could have a history of rodent infestations, filthy conditions or inadequate safety measures.

The data, which is regularly updated on the agency’s website, reflects the standards of food hygiene found on the date of inspection or visit by the relevant local authority.

All the scores listed on the FSA’s website reflect the standard, graded from zero to five, awarded during the most recent inspection and improvements may have been made since then.

Some of the businesses given a zero rating include:

Fine Foods, Harlesden, London

Sira Cash & Carry, Southall, London

Tesco Express, Swain’s Lane, Highgate, London

Abbey Wood Afro Caribbean Cash & Carry, Willesden, London

Cheam Food Centre, Sutton, London

Yours Supermarket, Leicester

Spar, Millstone Lane, Leicester

Co-op, Evington Road, Leicester

Pound Box, Preston

Iqbal Cash & Carry, Rochdale

Pak Supermarket, Birmingham

Poundland, Corporation Street, Birmingham

Beer Bank, Walsall, West Midlands

Aberavon Supermarket, Port Talbot, South Wales