A fish and chip shop owner in Netherton has landed a court bill of more than £9,000 after a series of poor hygiene standards were discovered.
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Daljinder Singh Chatta, the proprietor of Five Star Fish Bar in Baptist End Road, Netherton pleaded guilty to ten offences under the food hygiene regulations at Dudley Magistrates on Thursday (October 17).
The offences were identified during an inspection of the shop in December 2012 and included a failure to identify and address food safety hazards, failure to keep the premises and equipment clean and in good repair, inadequate hand wash facilities and a failure to protect ingredients from a risk of contamination.
Following the visit and the prosecution, which included a £7,500 fine and court costs of £1,639 and a victim surcharge of £120, Five Star Fish Bar has now improved from a zero rating to a broadly compliant hygiene rating of three out of five.
Dudley Council environmental health officers carry out regular inspections of all food premises in the borough to advise food business proprietors and ensure they meet all food safety and hygiene requirements.
The hygiene standards found at the time of inspection are then rated on a scale. At the bottom of the scale is zero which means urgent improvement is required. At the top of the scale is five, meaning the hygiene standards are very good.
Consumers are also advised to look out for the sticker in the window or a certificate on display inside the premises.
The proportion of zero rated food premises in the borough has reduced significantly due to a combination of additional coaching for business owners and prosecutions of the poorest performing premises. There are currently only 10 food premises in the borough with a zero rating out of 1,976 food hygiene ratings published.
Councillor Stuart Turner, cabinet member for health & well being, said:
“This prosecution sends out a clear message that we’re tough on food hygiene. We work very closely with businesses to ensure they know the law and offer help and advice where we can.
“However, in certain cases, prosecution is the only option in our bid to ensure people are protected when buying food in the Dudley borough and we have a zero tolerance of zero hygiene ratings.”
“Two thirds of all food outlets in the borough are achieving the top hygiene ratings of four or five and over 90 per cent achieve a satisfactory rating of three or more. I would urge consumers to check out hygiene ratings online as these will give consumers a glimpse of what is going on in the kitchen when they eat out, or behind the scenes at the places they shop.”
