Restaurant given heavy fine for using wooden plates

An Acocks Green restaurant that kept using wooden plates to serve food on has been fined £50,000.

Ibrahim’s Grill and Steak House on Warwick Road was first visited by environmental health officers from Birmingham City Council in October 2016 after an alleged food poisoning outbreak affecting a party of 14.

Officers served improvement notices but on a return visit in December 2016 it was found that whilst food handling had improved, the wooden plates were still being used.

The company was prosecuted and pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court and was fined £50,000.

Mark Croxford, head of environmental health at Birmingham City Council, said: “It is completely unacceptable for businesses to put the health of people eating at their restaurants at risk.

“The owners were given sound advice which they chose to ignore. I am pleased magistrates supported our efforts with a large fine and hope advice we give on improving businesses to protect health will not be ignored in future.”

Environmental health officers had found a number of issues, including a high level reliance being placed on the use of disposable gloves, rather than the washing of hands.

The cleaning of the premises was poor and wooden plates, which were incapable of being cleaned, were being used to serve the food.