WHERE have all the butchers gone?

Health watchdogs are getting worried about 83 "missing" butchers shops which will need licences from November 1.

A spokesman for Wigan Environmental Health Department warned: "Time is fast running out. We want those missing butchers to understand that after November 1 it will be a serious offence to sell both raw meat and things such as pies, pasties and puddings side-by-side from the same outlet without a licence.

"If they are discovered doing so it will be our duty to prosecute them in the interests of public safety."

They risk fines of up to £20,000 or up to two years' imprisonment.

New legislation means all butchers shops which sell both raw meats and ready-to-eat foods from the same outlet require an annual licence.

Council officers have identified 94 such shops in the borough and in June they were told about the situation. In spite of recent reminders only 11 businesses have applied for a licence.

Before a licence is granted butchers have to show they comply with general food hygiene standards and show that all staff have received appropriate training.

Watchdogs warn that contamination transfers between raw and cooked meat products by a butcher in Scotland were implicated in the E.coli outbreak which caused 21 deaths.

This one case led to the new laws.

Local butchers who will come under the new regulations should apply for a licence now or contact the environmental health department immediately on 01942 827907, or 828142.