The Zaandam distribution centre for online supermarket Picnic has been closed by health and safety inspectors because of a plague of mice.

The mice were spotted at a routine check on Wednesday by the NVWA and the centre, which covers 20,000 square metres, was shut down immediately.

All food which is either loose or in packaging which is easy to penetrate, such as cardboard will now be destroyed.

Cleaning the centre, closing holes and taking other measures against the mice will take several days, Picnic said. Once the inspectors give the green light, it can restocked and opened for business again.

In the meantime, Picnic clients will be supplied via other distribution centres and some deliveries may be later than planned, the company said.

Picnic was founded in 2015 and currently delivers groceries in 125 cities in the Netherlands. In 2021, it raised €600m from a variety of investors, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to finance its international expansion.