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Wellingborough caterers fined for rat infested warehouse
Published Tuesday 24th May 11
Directors of Wellingborough company Pooja Caterers have pleaded guilty to three food hygiene offences after the council’s environmental health officers discovered an unregistered food warehouse.
The warehouse had evidence of widespread rat activity inside. The company received a £27,000 fine, which is considerably higher than normal in food prosecution cases and reflects the seriousness of the offences.
Officers from Wellingborough Council discovered the warehouse in July last year and found part of it was being used for the storage of significant volumes of food and food equipment. The warehouse was not registered with the authority as a food premises. It was also apparent that the conditions of the warehouse were totally unsatisfactory for the safe storage of food, as the structure was in very poor condition with numerous points of access for pests.
The council found evidence of widespread pest activity in the warehouse, including old and fresh rat faeces in many areas, significant damage to the structure caused by rats gnawing, and widespread evidence of rat foot prints and tail marks in the soot which had settled on the packaging of food items and the shelving throughout the warehouse. Various food ingredients were left uncovered and some food packaging showed evidence of gnawing. All affected food was immediately destroyed.
The offences posed a potentially significant risk to public health, and the general conditions were so poor that a prosecution was taken against the company and its two directors, Mr Kishor Modha and Mrs Raxa Modha.
On 19 May 2011, the defendants pleaded guilty in Wellingborough Magistrates Court to all three charges against each of them. The court fined them a total of £27,000 plus a victim surcharge of £15, and full costs were also awarded to the council.
Amanda Wilcox, Wellingborough Council's Health Protection Manager said: "We work informally with businesses where possible to make sure high standards are maintained, but when considerable failings are found that significantly risk public health, we won't hesitate to take enforcement action. These offences were particularly serious and it should serve as a warning to all food business that they must comply with the regulations. The public's safety is our chief concern and we will do whatever is necessary to protect that."