Cockroaches, Mice and Hazardous Sweets Seized

Latest court action against local food firms

A branch of Pizza Hut delivery was closed for a week after live cockroaches were seen scuttling through the kitchen.

It's the latest in a number of food establishments in Ealing that have been caught breaching health and hygiene rules.

The Pizza takeaway at 66 South Road was inspected on 14 October after a customer contacted Ealing’s food safety team.

The franchise was issued with an emergency prohibition notice to close immediately when the inspection team discovered live cockroaches in the kitchen. The business re-opened six days later after inspectors re-visited and were satisfied it was safe.

Atifa Wasim Enterprises Limited, which operates the South Road Pizza Hut Delivery was forced to pay more than £890 in legal costs.

The operators of supermarket Quality Foods, LB Enterprises Limited, at 47-61 South Road, Southall had 16.2 kilograms of hazardous sweets seized. The business was ordered to pay the council’s legal fees of £604.04 after some imported jelly sweets, called Pran Pudding were found to contain a banned jelling agent which can pose a choking hazard. In this case, the sweets were supposed to turn to liquid in one bite but instead remained solid.

Court action was taken against three other food businesses during the same session. 

The owners of Woody Grill kebab and burger restaurant, 187-189 High Street, Acton were fined £2000 following prosecution for four separate hygiene offences in April this year.

Ealing Council food safety officers imposed a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice on 29 April after their inspection uncovered raw chicken juices dripping into uncovered sauce containers; no hot water; mouldy food and cigarette ends on the floor of the basement food storage area and mouse faeces in cupboards and on the floor.

The four offences; which carried a fine of £500 each were: not providing hot water, soap and clean towels for staff wash basins; not providing hot water in sinks intended for cleaning equipment and utensils; failing to keep raw meat and poultry stored separately from ready-to-eat foods and not keeping the premises clean.

Operators, Woody’s Grill Acton Limited also had to pay a £120 victim surcharge, along with Ealing Council’s legal fees of £978.81; bringing its combined penalty to £3098.81.

Moti Mahal, at 94 The Broadway, Southall and Arian, at 2 The Mall, Ealing were both ordered to pay the council’s legal costs following temporary closures.  

Arian had been closed for five days, from 14 to 19 October after an inspection revealed a mouse and cockroach infestation.  Owner, Mr Said Mohamad Tabibi also had to pay the council’s legal costs of £755.95.

Essence Restaurants Limited, Moti Mahal’s operators were ordered to pay £600.72 council legal fees for a mouse infestation. The restaurant had also been closed between 7 and 10 October to deal with the infestation.

Ealing’s deputy leader and cabinet member for community services and safety, Councillor Ranjit Dheer said:

“Food safety officers have to be so vigilant these days not just to poor hygiene standards; they also need to be alert to the ingredients present in food to make sure that potentially harmful additives don’t slip through the net. In the case of Quality Foods, whose products contained banned jelling agents, it’s just sheer luck that nobody choked as a result of eating the sweets.”

The vast majority of food outlets in Ealing comply with hygiene requirements and 77% of retail outlets — restaurants, shops and takeaways— have a food hygiene rating of 3 or more. Customers are encouraged to check the food hygiene rating online at www.food.gov.uk, or by using the free mobile app when choosing where to shop or eat.

26th November 2014