Leeds restaurant fined over mouse and fly infestation

Woodhouse restaurant

A restaurant in a Leeds suburb has been fined by authorities after an investigation found evidence of mouse activity and flies.

Owner of Zaks restaurant on Woodsley Road in Woodhouse, Nadeem Arshad, pleaded guilty at Leeds Magistrates Court to seven offences.

He was fined £480, and ordered to pay £2,521 costs with a £48 victim surcharge.

Officers from Leeds City Council’s environmental health team visited the property twice, in August and December 2016.

The first visit was a routine food hygiene inspection. It found several contraventions of food safety legislation and in their opinion a complete lack of regard for food safety.

Two days before the case could be heard, complaints were made prompting another visit to the site, resulting in further charges.

Officers found mouse droppings throughout the premises, food packaging had been gnawed, and flies were present in the kitchen, which was caked in debris and dirt.

Dirty cloths and tea towels in food preparation and storage areas and raw and ready-to-eat foods were found stored together, with uncovered foods stored in the fridges and chiller

In mitigation the court heard that Mr Arshad was no longer in charge of the restaurant, and because of his wife’s ill-health he had not been able to give the business his full attention and had employed a manager.

Leeds City Council executive member for environment and sustainability Councillor Lucinda Yeadon said: “The fact the magistrates were considering a prison sentence for these offences should serve as a warning to all food business operators in Leeds about the importance of following all the guidelines and standards on food safety and the seriousness of ensuring effective pest control measures are in place, or the consequences could be severe.

“Our officers are happy to offer guidance to businesses to ensure no such issues arise, so I would advise operators to make use of that free advice as we won’t hesitate to take action when we consider it necessary.”

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