Croydon food supplier hit with £100,000 fine over pest infestations

Sarah Jenkins Author 2026-05-22 10:48 4 min read

A high-angle view of a large industrial warehouse with rows of yellow storage bins and cardboard boxes.

Contents

Severe pest infestations found at Coulsdon warehouse
National supply chain implications for K Veg Wholesale
Court imposes £107,000 penalty for repeated failures
Croydon Council maintains zero-tolerance on food safety

A major food distributor based in Coulsdon has been ordered to pay more than £100,000 following a prosecution by Croydon Council. Inspections at K Veg Wholesale Ltd revealed severe hygiene failures, including evidence of widespread pest activity in areas where food was stored for national distribution. The scale of the breach and the potential risk to public health led to one of the most significant financial penalties issued in the borough in recent years.

Severe pest infestations found at Coulsdon warehouse

Food safety inspectors from Croydon Council visited the K Veg Wholesale Ltd premises in Ullswater Crescent to conduct a routine check of the facility. What they discovered was a warehouse environment that failed to meet basic hygiene requirements. The team found pigeon droppings directly on food items and rat droppings in the immediate vicinity of produce intended for human consumption.

Evidence of rodents was not limited to droppings; inspectors also found food that had been gnawed by pests. The investigation noted a distinct lack of care in protecting food from infestation, with very little evidence that any pest control measures were active or effective. Basic hygiene practices, which are mandatory for any business handling food, were found to be largely ignored during the site visits.

This enforcement action follows similar cases in the region where local authorities have stepped in to protect the public. For instance, Hayes residents were protected recently when a local takeaway faced a £14,000 fine for maintaining a filthy kitchen and ignoring pest risks. However, the scale of the Croydon case is notably larger due to the nature of the business as a wholesaler.

Croydon food supplier hit with £100,000 fine over pest infestations

National supply chain implications for K Veg Wholesale

K Veg Wholesale Ltd is not a small local shop but a large-scale importer and distributor. The company supplies a wide network of wholesalers, retailers, and independent shops across the United Kingdom. Because the business sits at the top of a supply chain, the hygiene failings found at the Coulsdon site had the potential to affect a vast number of consumers nationwide.

When the case reached Croydon Magistrates’ Court, the District Judge highlighted the severity of the situation. The court noted that it was highly likely that the conditions found at the warehouse would have resulted in customers experiencing ill health. The lack of protection for food products meant that contaminated items could have reached dinner tables across the country before the intervention of the food safety team.

Court imposes £107,000 penalty for repeated failures

Legal proceedings followed a series of hygiene improvement notices issued by Croydon Council. These formal warnings were designed to give the business a clear path to compliance, yet the company failed to act on them. This failure to comply with statutory notices is often a key factor in the escalation of fines in food safety cases.

Mr Vettivelu Thiraviyathasan, the company director, pleaded guilty on behalf of the business at Croydon Magistrates’ Court. The court ordered the company to pay a fine of £100,000 for the hygiene offences. In addition to the fine, the business was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £2,000 and the Council’s full legal and investigation costs, which totaled £5,097.37. The final penalty reached £107,097.37.

Croydon Council maintains zero-tolerance on food safety

Executive Mayor of Croydon, Jason Perry, stated that the borough is taking a zero-tolerance approach to businesses that jeopardize resident health. The Council’s food safety team is tasked with both supporting businesses to operate within the law and taking enforcement action when standards are not met. Perry noted that residents deserve to feel confident in the businesses that serve their communities and the wider food network.

While the Council provides guidance to help businesses navigate food safety regulations, the prosecution of K Veg Wholesale Ltd serves as a warning to other distributors. The local authority has made it clear that they will not hesitate to move to prosecution if repeated warnings and improvement notices are ignored. Residents who suspect a business in the borough is selling food unsafely can report their concerns directly to the food safety team via email.

Source: Croydon Council