The former owners of a bakery – which featured alongside celebrity chef Mary Berry - have been prosecuted after inspectors found an infestation of mice and cockroaches.

Lefteris Bakery Limited, located in Green Lanes, Palmers Green, has been fined more than £20,000 after being found to have a string of poor food safety and hygiene practises.

In November 2015, just before filming commenced of the Mary Berry Programme Easter Feast in January 2016, the premises was found to be food compliant.

But when cameras stopped rolling, inspectors found the bakery had an inadequate hygiene regime. Follow-up inspections until May 2018 found the premises to be in a poor state of hygiene.

Enfield Council, who had been monitoring the bakery since March 2014, initially found several issues, including a cockroach infestation, no food hygiene training, no soap or hygienic hand drying facilities at wash basins and no adequate disinfection taking place.

Following a return visit in January 2015, the bakery received a Food Hygiene Rating of zero.

Such a rating means that urgent improvement is required. A score below three Is deemed to be non-compliant with food law.

The bakery was ordered by Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on June 6 to pay £25,000.

This was in relation to 18 offences contrary to Regulation 19 of the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations, 2013.

The bakery was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £170 and legal costs of £2,900.

The offences relate to a period before the bakery was sold to different owners in October 2018. The new company trades with the original name and is based at the same address.

No representative of the previous owners attended court to face the charges. Therefore, the prosecution proved the case in their absence.

Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Licensing & Regulatory Services, Cllr George Savva, said: “We take a dim view of any food outlets whose premises aren't kept in a hygienic state for the manufacture and sale of food.

“We have the right to expect the food we buy is safe to eat and has been prepared in clean conditions.

“It doesn’t matter how big or small the business, or whether you have appeared on national television, everyone will be assessed in the same way by our inspectors.”

The bakery’s former director, James Nicolaou, is being prosecuted personally. He did not attend court – and a warrant not backed by bail has been issued for his arrest, which police are actively seeking to enforce.