The owner of a fried chicken and kebab takeaway which failed to live up to its name has landed a court bill of more than £6,000 for breaching health regulations.
When council inspectors visited Perfect Fried Chicken in Preston Street, Brighton, they found it was breaking a range of food hygiene rules including serving undercooked meat and putting customer’s health at risk.
The owner, Mohammed Hussain, claimed in court he was the victim of a vendetta by Brighton and Hove City Council.
But magistrates made it clear that he was treated no differently to anyone else and that had he taken the advice offered, he would not have been in court.
At Brighton Magistrates Court today, Mohammed Hussain, owner of the business, landed fines and court costs totalling of £6,115 after admitting 14 charges of breaching food hygiene regulations.
Len Batten, prosecuting, told the court that despite being given a huge amount of help and advice from health inspectors, Hussain repeatedly failed to improve standards at his takeaway in Preston Street.
Officers visiting the premises consistently found that food was being cooked and stored at the wrong temperatures. In addition, they found grease, dirt and food debris on the floor, walls and surfaces, and there was no evidence of antibacterial cleaners being used.
The hand wash basin was dirty and there was no hot water supply. Staff were not wearing suitable clean protective clothing and were unaware of the correct temperatures for food cooking and storage.
During their 12 visits, council officers provided Hussain with advice and information on food safety management and arranged for him to attend a free training course.
They also arranged for a contractor to visit Hussain to explain in detail the Safer Food Better Business system.
Hussain was fined £100 on each of the 14 charges, with £4,700 costs and £15 victim surcharge.
Councillor Geoffrey Theobald, Cabinet Member for Environment said: “I am pleased that the fines imposed reflect this blatant disregard for public safety.
“A great deal of the Food Safety team’s time is dedicated to working with businesses to protect public health, and on occasions such as this, when their advice is ignored, they rightly take tough action.”
“Regular inspections by council officers will continue to ensure that businesses found flouting the food hygiene laws will be brought before the courts and face tough penalties.”
