Food hygiene breaches cost Blackpool hotel £18,600 after court case

A hotel company has been prosecuted at Preston Magistrates Court, for five food hygiene offences and two health and safety offences at a Blackpool hotel.

Daish’s Blackpool Hotel Limited, the company responsible for Daish’s Hotel, 224-232 Promenade, Blackpool, pleaded guilty to the offences on July 29,  2024.

On August 31, 2023, Blackpool Council’s Food Control Officers inspected the kitchen at the hotel, to discover a poor level of cleanliness in the kitchen, including dirt to the floor, equipment, shelving, and hand contact points such as switches and plugs.

Cooking equipment was greasy, food debris was found in the freezer, and pans were being stored on the floor. Stagnant water was found in a container beneath the sink following a leak.

A chest freezer that was labelled as ‘gluten free’ was found to be storing foods containing gluten, and, therefore, a contamination risk to those with an allergy to gluten.

Officers also noted that electrical equipment was showing damage to the wires, evidence of melting to an electrical socket and incorrect use of extension leads.

The company has previously been offered a simple caution for food hygiene offences, which was accepted in February 2022.

Last month the company was ordered to pay a £14,000 fine, £2,000 victim surcharge and £2,612.10 in costs.

Cllr Paula Burdess, Blackpool Council Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Street Scene and Neighbourhoods, said: “Our Food Control Officers were shocked by what they discovered during their inspection.

“The company was found to be flouting regulations put in place to keep the public safe, and the company has been successfully prosecuted. Such conduct will not be tolerated. 

“We are pleased that the court imposed a fine which reflects the seriousness of the offences, and hopefully this will deter other businesses from operating in such a way that could put the public at risk.”

Paul Harper, Commercial Director of Daish’s Holidays, said: “Daish’s Blackpool Hotel was re-inspected by Blackpool Council’s Food Safety & Hygiene team in April this year, receiving a hygiene rating of four.

“We were disappointed to learn that the council subsequently decided to seek prosecution for a historical zero rating which was given to the hotel in August 2023.

“Daish’s Holidays has a track record of achieving high quality food standards across its group of hotels, and we were extremely dismayed that Daish’s Blackpool Hotel fell below the standard that we expect.”

He added: ”We took immediate steps to rectify the situation following the result of the 2023 inspection. This included actioning a deep clean in the kitchen over the course of three days, using additional staff resources from our other hotels to ensure swift completion to an exceptionally high standard. We also completely restructured our operations department as a result of an investigation into how the situation had occurred.

“I want to apologise to any guests who experienced concerns following the initial publication of the rating, and personally reassure everyone that our customary high standards have not wavered since our swift rectification of the issue.”