A spate of injuries caused by exploding tandoori ovens in curry restaurants in Birmingham have led to a health and safety crackdown.

Environmental health officers at Birmingham City Council have launched a series of safety inspections after employees were seriously burned while lighting tandoori ovens.

Visits have been made to 27 restaurants and takeaways across the city. Results showed only three of the 27 premises inspected used an engineer to examine their ovens, and only two of those engineers were found to be competent to work on catering appliances, while just 14 premises were using a safe method for lighting the oven.

In two cases ovens which had been involved in accidents were seized and sent away for examination. Both were found to be defective. One oven owned by Sukdhev’s Catering Services Ltd, owner of Chandni Chowks Restaurants and Sweets, in Handsworth, was found to have never been maintained after being installed by a chef, rather than a qualified engineer.

Sukdhev’s Catering Services Ltd pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates Court on January 22 to breaching Regulation 35 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, fined £3,500 and ordered to pay costs of £2,500, for failing to maintain their tandoor. It exploded in November 2008 while being lit by an employee, causing him serious burns to his hands, face and eyes.

The second oven from a different premises was being maintained, but by an engineer who was not authorised to work on the appliances.

Birmingham’s public protection boss, Councillor Neil Eustace, said: “The cylindrical design of the tandoor with an ignition source at the bottom, means that when gas builds up inside and an employee leans in to light it, the oven effectively becomes like a cannon. The potential for injuries is high and that is why we have served a number of enforcement notices.”

The maximum fine for people ignoring oven maintenance is £20,000.