A frozen food superstore has reopened after a mice infestation.

Iceland in The Mall, Maidstone has welcomed back customers nearly three weeks after it was issued a hygiene emergency prohibition notice.

Maidstone council had shut the shop after a visit from its food and safety team on February 20, who found an “active” and “widespread” infestation of the vermin.

It came after a tip-off from a member of the public.

A spokesperson for Iceland said the store was “immediately deep cleaned” following the inspection, and the team has been working with environmental health and the council to reopen as quickly as possible.

While it remained shut for nearly three weeks, all frozen food was transferred to the chain's Food Warehouse in London Road.

A spokesperson for Maidstone council had told KentOnline it was unable to give a timescale of how long it would take for the store to reopen as it depended on how promptly Iceland take the necessary remedial action.

They added: “Iceland will need to contact the Maidstone Borough Council’s Food and Safety Team once they have taken any necessary actions, and the team will then visit again within 14 days to assess compliance.

“The store may or may not be allowed to reopen, depending on the outcome of this visit.”

But, yesterday (March 10), a spokesman for The Mall confirmed it had reopened.

In August, the branch received a four-star food hygiene rating and was rated as “very good” in both hygienic food handling and management of food safety.

In terms of cleanliness and the condition of facilities and the building, which includes pest control, it was said to be “generally satisfactory”.

According to the Food Standards Agency, a new rating will be published soon.