Day 135 - 15 Jun 95 - Page 18
1 (as I know to my cost), are you saying they must have eaten
2 through the plastic seals?
3 A. Yes, that is what they would do.
4
5 MR. MORRIS: So they were inside the seals?
6 A. Well, they would break the seal, yes. The buns would
7 be inside the seal and they would break the seal.
8
9 MR. JUSTICE BELL: The plastic could not stop a determined
10 mouse?
11 A. Oh, no, it is only thin.
12
13 MR. MORRIS: The buns would be used within a fairly short
14 period, would they not, after arrival?
15 A. Yes.
16
17 Q. I mean, certainly the same day?
18 A. Yes, or the day after. I think the shelf life of them
19 was five days, if I remember rightly.
20
21 Q. But you had deliveries every day?
22 A. Of buns we did, yes.
23
24 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Presumably, if a tray had been delivered one
25 day, it would be quite often that a tray or various trays
26 would just be kept in the store overnight and ---
27 A. Used the following day.
28
29 Q. -- you would start using them again in the morning?
30 A. Yes. We used to have every day deliveries at that time
31 because it is a very busy store with very little storage
32 place.
33
34 MR. MORRIS: So the general practice would be to try to use them
35 the same day, to be efficient?
36 A. The same day or the following day, yes.
37
38 MS. STEEL: Were you aware of crew being concerned that the mice
39 droppings were actually coming with the bun trays from the
40 depot?
41 A. I was aware that was one of the possibilities of where
42 they could be coming from, yes.
43
44 Q. Do you know whether any investigation was launched into
45 that?
46 A. Personally, no, I do not.
47
48 Q. Just one other thing about the mice that were actually in
49 the kitchen area behind the counter, did you see staff
50 chasing them around sometimes?
51 A. I can remember one instance where one person was
52 chasing one, but that was when the store was closed.
53
54 MR. JUSTICE BELL: That was?
55 A. When the restaurant was actually closed, I think that
56 was Lucas as well.
57
58 MS. STEEL: That was the only occasion that you remember of
59 staff chasing the mice?
60 A. Actually chasing it, yes.
