Pizza takeaway owner fined £17,500

The owner of a pizza takeaway business has been fined a total of £17,500 after a hygiene inspector found the kitchens to be filthy with equipment in a poor state of repair.

Akhtar Aziz, aged 41, who runs Pirate Pizza in Wolverhampton Street, Willenhall, admitted five counts of failing to comply with a hygiene improvement notice.

The pizza takeaway was visited by a hygiene inspector in October 2010 after a complaint from a member of the public.

Mr Dominic Patouchas, prosecuting on behalf of Walsall Council, said the inspector noted that the floors and walls were dirty, there was structural repairwork that needed to be done, food handlers had not been trained in food hygiene and there was an inadequate supply of hot water.

He said: "He informed Mr Aziz of his concerns with regard to the inadequate level of hygiene and advised him to close the premises and provide cleaning and hot water."

The following day the shop was closed for cleaning, but when the inspector returned he said it was still not up to scratch and that structural repairs also needed to be done.

The work had still not been done by November, and eight hygiene improvement notices were served on Aziz on November 4.

Aziz, of Walstead Road, Delves in Walsall, spoke to the officer on November 25, telling him that repairwork would soon be completed before the deadline of January 10.

But the work was not completed and Aziz was interviewed.

Mr Patouchas said: "His explanations involved a dispute with the landlord over repairwork, being let down by his employees and delays in securing contractors over the Christmas period. He did indicate that he would get the works done in one month."

Aziz, who was not represented at Walsall Magistrates Court yesterday said: "I had an individual managing the premises. I sacked that individual.

"All the work has been done now, I just didn't get it done in time. Further to that, we have never had any complaints other than this one in the four years it has been operating."

He was ordered to pay £3,500 for each count of failing to comply with a food hygiene improvement notice, £467.80 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Regarding the first visit, Mr Patouchas added: "There was evidence that the premises and equipment were not kept clean and were not kept in a good state of repair.

"There was no proper lighting to the room used for dough preparation and the premises was poorly organised."

Aziz said he has now hired a new manager who is qualified as a food handler.