Hygiene ratings: Mouse infestations found at Derby city takeaways

TWO city takeaways and an award-winning restaurant were found to have mice droppings during recent food hygiene inspections.

Midland Kebabs in Breadsall and Big Taste in Normanton were both found to have uncontrolled mouse infestations.

The two businesses, along with Sun Waa Takeaway in Littleover, were all given zero stars by inspectors.

Mouse droppings were also found in the main storeroom of Anoki in London Road which was given just one star by officers from Derby City Council.

The business has won a string of awards including Excellence in Customer Service at the 2014 Derbyshire Chamber Business Awards and was named as one of the top ten Indian restaurants in the UK by the Times newspaper.

MIDLAND KEBABS: ZERO STARS

The inspector reported:

There was evidence of an uncontrolled mouse infestation at the premises with mouse droppings found at wall/floor junctions throughout, posing a risk of contamination.

There was no sanitiser or anti-bacterial cleaner available.

I observed cooked meat and vegetables being prepared on the raw meat chopping board.

Open containers of mayonnaise were found stored at room temperature.

Cleaning equipment such as your mop and brush were filthy and only helping you to spread dirt.

Mohammed Ishfaq, the owner of Midlands Kebabs, said: “When the inspector came, someone was building behind our property, which caused the rats to come.

“I called in pest control and it is now clear. The inspector came back and she said if you keep cleaning like that, we will soon give you a good star.”

BIG TASTE: ZERO STARS

The inspector reported:

There was evidence of an uncontrolled mouse infestation at the premises with mouse droppings found at wall/floor junctions throughout and in a cardboard box amongst food items.

I found Southern Fried Chicken, allegedly being kept hot, to be 40.9C and red bream fish, allegedly being kept cold at 19.7C, both food items were in the danger zone.

Lenworth McLean, owner of Big Taste, Normanton Road, Normanton, said: “Everything has improved since then and we will get a better rating in a couple of weeks.”

SUN WAA TAKEAWAY: ZERO STARS

The inspector reported:

Dirty, mouldy tea towels were found covering lots of food items including cooked rice and noodles.

Food handlers’ aprons were dirty and poor condition and at the time of my visit you jumped into the outside bin to compact the waste wearing your apron.

Speaking on behalf of the owner Michael Wong, Sandy Priestley said: “We have done everything that the inspector outlined in the report.”

ANOKI: ONE STAR

The inspector reported:

Several dirty re-usable cloths on food preparation surfaces at the far end of the kitchen. These cloths were allegedly being used to dry the floor in the pot wash area.

There was evidence of mouse droppings under shelving.

As your pest controller had only been out on March 25 (the inspection was on April 7) and found no problems, this would indicate a fairly new problem.

Staff toilet – The toilet pan and W/C area was dirty and was a real indication of the poor level of your food handler’s personal hygiene.

Director of Anoki, Naveed Khaliq, said: “We are now well on the way to achieving a five-star rating, as we are working closely with Penny Dawson Malone of Blue Cloud Training and Consultancy.

“With respect to the pest control issues, we had a proactive arrangement with a National Pest Control Company who had only just made a scheduled visit the week before we received the inspection.

“They confirmed in their report that there was no activity noted and it was only on the food hygiene inspection that minor activity had been noted in a confined location.

“We feel that this was an isolated incident and that we acted responsibly in how we have managed the problem.”

Other premises that were also given one star were:

HONG SHING: ONE STAR

Inspectors found old mouse droppings in a cupboard, no date labelling of prepared foods in the refrigerator and the cupboard next to the fridge was dirty with spilt food and insect webbing.

When contacted by the Derby Telegraph, there was nobody available for comment.

CHEEKY MONKEY’S PLAYGROUP: ONE STAR

It was found that raw meat was being stored directly above salad items and that staff were not aware of the E.Coli guidance and how to clean correctly.

When contacted by the Derby Telegraph, there was nobody available for comment.

CURRY EXPRESS: ONE STAR

It was found by inspectors that there was no paper towels available for hand drying and the access to the washbasin was blocked which prevented staff from washing their hands.

There were also issues with the general cleanliness of the premises with fat dripping from ventilation filters and dirt and debris on the floor throughout.

When contacted by the Derby Telegraph, there was nobody available for comment.

PARK VIEW FISH BAR: ONE STAR

Inspectors found there was no hot water to the wash basin in the small kitchen or the sink in the kitchen. At the time the officer visited the premises, boiling water was being used to clean. A substantial amount of dirt and debris was also found behind the chest freezers.

Nobody was available for comment when contacted by the Derby Telegraph.

WRAPPED UP: ONE STAR

Inspectors found that employees were washing their hands with cold water and no soap.

The temperature of the fridge was also too high, at 10.4C.

Both the Caribbean Part 1 business, in Holcombe Street, Normanton was given a one star rating along with Curry Night, in Brackens Lane, Alvaston, but no further information was available about their inspection reports.

An employee at Curry Night told us that the owner was “too busy to talk” as he is the head chef at the business and had to go to answer another phone call.

All the businesses will be re-inspected in the coming weeks and will be given an updated score based on their progress from the previous reports.