A London branch of Tesco has been forced to close by Westminster council due to the severe scale of a mouse infestation in the store.

The Covent Garden branch of the supermarket chain has been shut by the council's health and safety department until the the store is rid of the problem.

In a statement Tesco said: "We insist on the highest standards of hygiene in our stores and are extremely concerned by this incident, which we are confident was isolated."

Westminster Council's health and safety manager, James Armitage, added that the council holds Tesco to the same standards as it does its local traders and small business and that "where public health is of concern, [the department's] action is swift and decisive."

"We can confirm that a serious mouse infestation and dirty conditions were found at the Tesco Metro in Covent Garden and we have closed the premises down until a thorough clean-up has taken place and proper pest control measures have been taken."

Tesco is one of the highest-profile brands in the country, with over 2,500 stores in the country, employing close to 300,000 people in the UK.