A Tesco Express branch quietly took down a sticker showing its poor two-star food hygiene score.
Wandsworth Council informed the store that improvements were required following an inspection that uncovered evidence of mouse droppings, resulting in the low rating.
The rating sticker vanished from the Clapham Junction store last month.
The Food Standards Agency is currently campaigning for the mandatory display of hygiene ratings across England.
Tesco has said that displaying all ratings is company policy and confirmed it is tackling the rodent issue.
During the November 2025 inspection of the Clapham Junction branch, council officials discovered mouse droppings in the warehouse area adjacent to the office and staff room.
The inspection report, obtained by the BBC, made it clear that staff had failed to notice the droppings, indicating that pest activity was not being monitored regularly.
Inspectors found employees were not following an existing food safety management procedure, particularly regarding pest surveillance.
A Tesco Express branch quietly took down a sticker showing its poor two-star food hygiene score
|The report recommended additional staff training and called for gaps in walls, doors, windows, pipes and drains to be sealed to prevent rodent access.
Officials also noted the staff toilet lacked hygienic hand-drying materials.
All findings were classified as immediate and ongoing legal requirements.
A follow-up compliance visit by the council two weeks after the November inspection did not result in an improved rating and no additional inspections are currently scheduled.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Wandsworth Council informed the store that improvements were required
|Customers outside the store expressed concern upon learning of the hygiene issues.
Rohan Graham, one shopper, told the national broadcaster: "I'm not very comfortable knowing I've just bought food from there - thankfully it's packaged."
Angela Sankey, leaving the shop with her purchases, remarked that Tesco "should be doing better".
Another customer mentioned that a friend had alerted her to the poor rating after noticing the sticker on display.
A Tesco spokesman said: “We set ourselves the highest store standards and take hygiene extremely seriously, with comprehensive cleaning and food safety processes in place across all of our stores.
"The majority of our stores have a hygiene rating of 5, the highest rating, and we are taking action to address all the recommendations made during the store inspection."
Tesco has said that displaying all ratings is company policy and confirmed it is tackling the rodent issue
|GETTY
The supermarket chain added that the vast majority of its branches hold the top hygiene rating of five stars.
Tesco reportedly confirmed it plans to request a re-inspection of the Clapham Junction store.
While most major UK supermarkets maintain five-star ratings, a small number have received the lowest scores, with rodent problems being a common factor.
In March, Iceland was fined £300,000 after inspectors discovered that rats had chewed through crisp packets at an east London branch.
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter