FILTHY work surfaces and mouldy food have led to a suspended prison sentence for the owner of a Leamington restaurant.
Mohammed Muneer, who ran Ali’s Curry House on Bath Street, pleaded guilty at Nuneaton Magistrates’ Court to six hygiene offences discovered by food safety officers during a routine visit last March.
The court heard Muneer had persistently failed to maintain standards.
Access to the wash hand basin in the kitchen was found to be partly blocked, and surfaces throughout were filthy indicating staff were not washing their hands.
Equipment which food came into contact was found to be dirty; mouldly and sprouting food items were also found in the kitchen; and fixtures and fittings were found to be in poor repair.
The magistrates took into account the previous poor history of the premises and seriousness of the offences, and Muneer was sentenced to 23 weeks in prison, suspended for two years.
He was also banned from being involved in the management of any food business for two years.
And he was ordered to pay full costs of £4573, together with a £115 victim surcharge.
Warwick District Council’s health and community protection spokesman Coun Andrew Thompson said: “Warwick District Council works on a daily basis with food businesses to encourage high standards and to protect the public, with the majority of our food businesses doing a great job, with over three in four of them scoring the top ‘5’ food hygiene rating.
“When we do have businesses who persistently fail to comply with the standards required of them, and, as a result, put the health of our residents at risk, we will always take enforcement action against them.”
