Bosses at rat-infested Doncaster wine bar remain silent over closure

Otto Wine Bar and Kitchen in Sprotbrough was shut down with immediate effect by council environmental health chiefs earlier this month after the Sprotbrough bar was found to be teeming with rodents.

Bosses at the venue in Main Street have remained tight-lipped about the shutdown – with customers saying they have been unable to contact the firm.

There has not been a post on the restaurant’s social media page on Facebook since November 2 and members of the public say that calls to the venue have not been answered.

One told the Free Press: “They need to be open and transparent with their customers about what is going on.

"Even now, after all this has come out, they haven’t even acknowledged it with some sort of message. People have a right to know what’s going on.”

Earlier this week, the boss of neighbouring Indian restaurant Mehfil – which was also forced to close temporarily while health chief investigated, blamed the rats on neighbouring premises.

Mehfil’s Mohammed Rahman said: “There has never been and never will be any rat activity in Mehfil - we have always maintained a high standard.

"Mehfil was only under investigation to confirm that we do not have any rat issue and we are open for business because Doncaster Council have finished their investigation."

Added Mr Rahman: “I am the one who contacted pest control in the first place and informed them that I had some concerns about the surrounding business area having a rat issue.

"They came out to investigate and confirmed there was an issue with the surrounding area and found many issues and in the process Mehfil also had to be investigated to make sure we had no rat issue.”

Enforcement notices placed in the window of Otto confirmed the presence of rats and stated: “The food business operator has failed to comply with food hygiene regulations.

"An imminent and active risk to health has been demonstrated, namely large and active rat infestation evident within every area of the business, including bar, kitchen, seating and storage areas.”