Hammersmith Pest Control News:
Mice found in Hammersmith restaurant by paulg on 04/03/2012 |
Health inspectors found a mouse swimming in sweet and sour sauce about to be served to customers during an inspection of a Chinese restaurant in Hammersmith. They managed to photograph the rodent as it jumped out of the bowl and scampered along a draining pipe in the kitchen of the restaurant. But there were more shocks in store for them. They also found cockroaches, whose eggs were found in the dim sum and baskets of prawn crackers. Mice droppings were found all over the kitchen including inside the fridges, on crockery, in soy sauce containers and on a chopping board next to some meat. The hygiene was so bad that the ventilation canopy in the restaurant was dripping with grease. The restaurant was shut down in May 2010. Photographs taken at the time also show cockroaches living in fridge seals. The kitchen was also covered in grease and grime, with cracked tiles and stained walls. The owner was arrested and admitted 7 counts of breaching food hygiene regulations. Environmental officers from Westminster council said the conditions were "disgraceful" and branded them an "appalling risk" to the safety of customers. They said: "Thankfully there has been no evidence of actual illness being suffered by customers." The restaurants have since reopened and are being closely monitored by the council. The owner was given an four-month jail term suspended for a year. He was also ordered to pay fines totalling £20,000 plus £8,124 costs. The judge said if he had not pleaded guilty he would have gone to prison immediately. The restaurant boss has three months to improve standards before a decision is made whether to ban him from operating a catering business altogether. |