Newcastle takeaway owner fined for filthy shop
A takeaway owner in Newcastle was fined for keeping a filthy shop, a court heard.
Heaton Tandoori sold Indian meals and pizzas that were prepared at other takeaways in the city and brought in for sale, Newcastle magistrates heard.
When environmental health officers from Newcastle City Council visited the premises on Addycombe Terrace on October 18 last year they found:
• dirty work surfaces
• missing floor covering
• no written record that the fridges were at the right temperature
• poor food handling practices that risked cross contamination
The owner had been warned by the council about cleaning and food handling at other takeaways he had previously operated - the Motijheel and Jesmond Tandoori.
Abu Essa of Railway Terrace, Wallsend, admitted three breaches under Food Safety and Hygiene Regulations 2013 as a food business operator when he appeared in court on October 3.
He was fined £480 reduced to £320 for a guilty plea, ordered to pay £128 victim surcharge and £85 costs making a total of £533. The magistrates ordered the money to be deducted from his benefits.
His solicitor told the court his client accepted he was in the wrong and had failed to cope after others had let him down. He has since given up the business along with another and had cleaned the premises before handing them back to the landlord. He was now claiming Universal Credit and working part time as a kitchen assistant.
Deputy leader of Newcastle City Council, Cllr Alex Hay, who has responsibility for regulatory services welcomed the outcome of the prosecution.
He said: “When the public buy a takeaway, they should feel confident that it has been prepared in a clean, safe environment and cooked to a good standard. Those preparing the food should be trained in food hygiene. If this fails, then we start to lose confidence in eating out which adversely affects all businesses.
“As a council we are determined that the hospitality and food sectors in our city operate to a high standard. We carry out inspections to check that these establishments are operating to the required standards. We offer advice and work with businesses, but we will prosecute those who flout the law and put the public at risk.”