Restaurant owner handed £20k fine for ‘shocking’ food safety breaches
The owner of a restaurant and takeaway in south London has been found guilty of a number of ‘shocking’ food safety breaches, resulting in a £20,000 fine and a business which has been closed down until it can be cleaned up.
Rajakumar Rajalingam, the owner of the New Chutney Express in Tooting, managed to shock food safety inspectors used to witnessing the most heinous of food hygiene crimes. During a routine environmental health inspection, Mr Rajalingam killed a rat right in front of shocked inspectors.
The unit used by the restaurant to prepare takeout orders was also infested with rats and mice, and their droppings were discovered on shelves and food preparation areas.
For breaching a host of food hygiene laws and showing a complete lack of food safety awareness, Mr Rajalingam was fined £20,000 along with court costs.
He was also fined £5,000 for selling counterfeit wine products in his shop.
Commenting on the case, Councillor Jonathan Cook said:
“This was a shocking catalogue of hygiene and food safety breaches. These premises were in a truly appalling state and posed an unacceptable danger to public health.”