The owners of an award-winning Wolverhampton chip shop have each been ordered to pay more than £1,000 after environmental health officers discovered pies in the fridge that had gone off.

Christopher Xiourouppa and Cos Papachristofofoa own Fordhouses Chippie on Stafford Road.

The pair were each ordered to pay £1,065 in fines and costs at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court yesterday after being found guilty of two counts of selling food past its sell-by date.

Environmental health officers visited the shop on March 31 for a routine inspection during which they found two boxes of steak and kidney and beef and onion pies with sell-by dates of March 30.

Mr Richard Dewsbury, prosecuting, said the boxes were stored on top of others in the fridge and were ready to be sold on to customers.

Mr Geoffrey Barrat, defending, said shop manager Xiourouppa knew the pies were out of date and had put them to one side but a delivery man had moved them back to the pile. Mr Barrat said despite the mix up, there was no way the pies would have ever been sold as Xiourouppa, who has more than 20 years’ experience, always checked the date of everything he took out of the fridge.

He added the shop had won awards for its hygiene, quality and business practice.

Xiourouppa, aged 40 of Beech Road, Bridgnorth, and his silent partner Papachristofofoa, of Quarry Park Road, Stourbridge, both denied the charges but were convicted after a trial.