Curry house owner fined £8,000 after RAT infestation
Indian restaurant in Leamington told his response to the problem was inadequate
A restaurant owner has been fined £8,000 after his curry house was found to be infested with rats.
Mohammed Muneer, the owner of Ali’s Curry House in Leamington, was told his response to the infestation was totally inadequate when he appeared before Leamington Magistrates Court earlier this month.
Mr Muneer pleaded guilty to two offences of failing to ensure that adequate procedures were in place to control pests and that the construction of the food premises failed to permit good hygiene practices, including the protection from contamination by pests.
He was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,971.
The court heard that council officers discovered a rat infestation in the premises in Bath Street during an unannounced inspection of the restaurant in September last year.
Mr Muneer agreed to close the restaurant until the public health risk had been removed.
But the court was told that only ten weeks prior to the inspection in September, Mr Muneer accepted a simple caution for food hygiene offences identified during an inspection in February 2014.
Magistrates told Mr Muneer that his response to addressing the rat infestation was totally inadequate.
They added that even after closing the premises and carrying out remedial works the business is rated as a score of ‘1’ – Major Improvement Required – under the National Food Hygiene Rating.
Coun Moira-Ann Grainger, who is the portfolio holder for health and community protection, said: “Warwick District Council works with food businesses to encourage high standards and protect the public.
“We will take enforcement action against businesses that fail to comply with the standards required of them and those who put the public at risk.”
If Mr Ali had a pest control contract in place and listened to what the pest controller was telling him this may not of happened.
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