Morrisons Supermarket Fined £737,000 Over Dirty Cwmbran Bakery

A Morrisons supermarket has been ordered to pay a £750,000 bill following a fine for hygiene failures at its bakery.

Newport Magistrates' Court fined the family-run chain £737,000 — reduced from £1.1 million due to an early guilty plea — along with £11,221.38 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge.

The penalties stemmed from a routine inspection in August 2024 at the Cwmbran branch by Torfaen council environmental health officers. They uncovered 51 flaws in the store's food safety management, issues that managers had known about for more than a month.

Judge Sophie Toms told the court on Thursday that the case involved serious and systemic failures, not just a few rogue employees. She said Morrisons had risked customers' health and safety and perhaps put lives at risk.

Torfaen council's public protection chief, Daniel Morelli, said after the case: "The council will not hesitate to take formal action where the health and well-being of consumers is placed at risk."

Morrisons stated: "We were very disappointed in the condition of the bakery in August 2024. It fell far short of the standard our customers expect and that we should provide."