A Black Country balti house boss has been ordered to pay £3,000 in fines and court costs after admitting that he allowed hygiene and safety problems at his restaurant to go unfixed.

Abdual Muktar, who runs the Sharzia Balti Restaurant, in Owen Street, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with two “notices to improve” issued by Sandwell Council standards watchdogs.

The 25-year-old, who is also known by the name of Raj Sual, yesterday told West Bromwich magistrates that most of the matters of concern had now been dealt with.

They fined him £500 for each notice, and ordered him to pay £2,000 costs.

Read the full story in the Express & Star.

A Black Country balti house boss has been ordered to pay £3,000 in fines and court costs after admitting that he allowed hygiene and safety problems at his restaurant to go unfixed.

Abdual Muktar, who runs the Sharzia Balti Restaurant, in Owen Street, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with two “notices to improve” issued by Sandwell Council standards watchdogs.

The 25-year-old, who is also known by the name of Raj Sual, yesterday told West Bromwich magistrates that most of the matters of concern had now been dealt with.

They fined him £500 for each notice, and ordered him to pay £2,000 costs.

Mr David Campbell, prosecuting for Sandwell Council, said that inspectors had visited the restaurant for a general food safety and health and safety check in April last year and had raised concerns about the safety of a storeroom stairwell. He said that on a repeat visit in August they found that the problem had not been addressed.

Mr Muktar was subsequently given more time to comply with the notices.

Magistrates were told yesterday that while the dangerous storage area had been fixed in November, some of the restaurant’s staff had yet to receive their updated hygiene training.