The owner of the Essence of India, Mr Mujibur Rahman Khan, has been fined £3,500 plus costs after council food safety officers discovered a string of food safety breaches within the Marton based restaurant.
The restaurant was first visited in March 2015, where officers found a variety of hygiene issues, including mould on the kitchen walls, utensils on the floor, and spiders in the store room. Khan was issued a letter outlining the required improvements in the kitchen’s hygiene, and the overall routine safety checks of the establishment.
However when officers returned in May they found that the conditions in the kitchen had deteriorated. Utensils were again on the floor and the kitchen wash hand basin had no running hot water. Khan claimed in mitigation that financial problems caused by a £28,000 British Gas bill prevented the necessary improvements from being made.
At a hearing at Nuneaton’s Warwickshire Justice Centre Khan pleaded guilty to 7 offences under the Food Safety Act 1990. He was fined £500 for each offence, and was ordered to pay £913.57 costs, a £50 victim surcharge and a £180 criminal court charge.
Speaking after the hearing, Cllr Lisa Parker said: “Food businesses which cut corners on hygiene put the public’s health at risk and we have no hesitation in prosecuting businesses which refuse to work with us to meet safety standards.”
Breaches of the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Health and Safety Act 1974 can face harsher sentences than ever before as a result of new sentencing laws across the England and Wales. It is important that your business is meeting the required standards to avoid fines and imprisonment, and ensure the public’s safety.
If you have further questions, or require advice on health and safety systems within your organisation, please contact food alert at 020 7244 1900 or enquiries@foodalert.com.