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A London bakery was fined more than £150,000 after being caught mashing potatoes with a filthy tennis racket.

Council inspectors discovered the racket covered in mashed potato when they visited the premises in Enfield, north London.

The buildings were used by two shops - Doce Bakers and Sweet Mahal – which sold desserts, sweets, samosas and other baked goods.

They had previously been found to have a pest problem, dirty floors and dirty equipment during an inspection in January last year, which "posed a real risk of food poisoning and illness to the public".

But when council officers visited again in July they discovered standards had fallen even lower and found the filthy racket.

Sweet Mahal company director Rana Ahmed and Doce Bakers director Nizakat Ali were fined £152,823 at Highbury magistrates’ court.

Enfield council’s cabinet member for environment, Daniel Anderson, said: “Enfield council has a duty to protect our residents and we won’t hesitate to act wherever and whenever necessary to protect them against any risk to their health.

“We take a dim view of any food outlets whose premises aren’t kept in a hygienic state for the manufacture of food. Our residents have the right to expect the food they buy to be safe.”