Ealing Common Butcher Fined After Thumb Incident
Staff member lost digit while using unsafe equipment
The Ealing Butcher and Charcutier on Station Parade. Picture: Ealing Council
November 18, 2025
A butcher’s shop in Ealing Common has been hit with more than £50,000 in fines and court costs after a staff member suffered a serious injury while using unsafe equipment.
The incident occurred at The Ealing Butcher and Charcutier on Station Parade, where a worker sliced off part of their thumb while operating a bandsaw—a common but potentially dangerous piece of butchery machinery. The injury, which took place in July 2023, was reported to Ealing Council under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR).
Following the report, council health and safety officers carried out an unannounced inspection and found multiple breaches of safety law. The bandsaw lacked essential safety features, and staff had not received adequate training. An immediate prohibition notice was issued, banning the use of the machine due to the risk of serious injury.
On 30 September this year, at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court, both the business and its owner, Mr Sorin Moncea of Slippers Place, Bermondsey, pleaded guilty to four offences. These included failure to protect staff from injury risks, inadequate training, and the absence of proper risk assessments.
The court ordered Moncea and the company to pay a combined total of £51,278. Moncea personally was fined over £2,000, with additional costs and a victim surcharge bringing his total to £7,024. The company was fined £38,460, with further costs and surcharges bringing its total to nearly £45,000.
Moncea had delayed attending an interview under caution and eventually submitted written responses to the council in January 2025.
Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, Ealing Council’s cabinet member for decent living incomes, said, “This case highlights the serious danger posed by bandsaws and similar machinery when not properly maintained or operated. The majority of local businesses operate responsibly… but some are still taking huge risks.”
She added that the council would continue to act decisively in rare but serious cases to protect workers and the public.
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