Owner of Delish Chicken, Chadwell Heath, lands £5,000 fine for cockroach infestation
Raw, uncovered chicken - Credit: Archant
A cockroach infestation has seen one chicken shop owner pay out thousands in court fines.
A cockroach on the ceiling - Credit: Archant
Khalid Bhatti, owner of Delish Chicken, High Road, Chadwell Heath, pleaded guilty to seven food standards offences including keeping raw chicken uncovered in the fridge and storing it next to raw vegetables.
Dirty ceiling - Credit: Archant
He was fined £5,100 and ordered to pay £3,367 in court costs after sentencing at Romford Magistrates’ Court on March 28, a council statement revealed today.
Dirty food equipment - Credit: Archant
Darren Henaghan, corporate director for housing and environment, said: “This is an extreme case of poor standards which could have proved a health risk to customers.
Dirty kitchen wall tiles - Credit: Archant
“The council’s environmental health team monitor premises throughout the borough to protect the safety of members of the public, and those who break the law will face action.”
Barking and Dagenham Council officers visited the take away in November 2012 after a customer complained that it had cockroaches.
They found two of the insects on the kitchen ceiling, one in the wash area and a further dead cockroach on the kitchen floor, a council spokesman said.
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She said staff at the food outlet were not wearing protective clothing and had failed to keep the premises clean and in good repair.
However, she added: “It was accepted that the main source of the cockroach infestation may have been from the premises above the takeaway and it is accepted that Bhatti did make some attempts to eradicate pests from his premises.”
All of Bhatti’s offences fell under the English Food Hygiene Regulations 2006, part of the European Communities Act 1972.
