Pittsburgh Variety Store Ordered Closed Due To Mice

PITTSBURGH, PA - An East Liberty variety store has been closed by the Allegheny County Health Department because of a persistent rodent infestation. The closure order came after a Monday inspection at the Dollar Tree on Penn Avenue.

Inspectors found bags of caramels, cheese puffs and bagged popcorn that had been chewed by mice and rodent droppings present on shelves with the damaged products, below the shelving area and in a back storage area. Snapped trapped were discovered below the shelving.

Droppings also were present along the perimeter of the wall in the front of the store, below windows and behind new shelving.

The health department ordered the store to use approved methods to eliminate the pests, remove the rodent droppings and eliminate harborage areas, food sources and entry sites.

The health department issued a consumer alert for the store in April after inspectors found mouse droppings "too numerous to count" in a back storage area.

That inspection revealed numerous mouse droppings below a long candy and chip aisle, with a large amount of food and torn packaging material present along the shelf.

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