Cockroach-infested chicken shop horrifies inspectors
A cockroach-infested Liverpool restaurant has been described as one of the worst cases local hygiene inspectors had ever seen.
On a routine visit to chicken restaurant Chesters, environmental health officers were horrified to see the insects scuttling out from behind a freezer, and discovered eggs and dead cockroaches in a basement kitchen.
Raw meat was stored above salad, equipment was filthy, and dirty cardboard was used to soak up blood from raw chicken. Food in fridges was being stored at 11°c, - 3°c over the legal limit - and staff weren't given anywhere to wash their hands.
"There was a severe risk to the public, despite repeated visits and advice being given," prosecutor Roger Mann told Liverpool Magistrates' Court.
"There were real problems when the inspectors returned. This we say is one of the worst cases we have ever come across and we ask you to sentence accordingly."
Owners Sadiq Patel, 42, and his wife Arifa Patel, 39, pleaded guilty to 17 breaches of food hygiene laws and were ordered to pay £15,820 in fines and costs.
Mr Patel tells the Liverpool Echo that hygiene started to slide after both he and his father became ill. And, he says, things have since improved.
"First of all the whole place has been done. The walls and the floors have been re-done and we have changed everything," he says. "I have sent my staff on hygiene courses and we have got the whole place compliant, we are just waiting for a review."
The restaurant is now open again and currently has a one-star hygiene rating, which means major improvement is required.
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Last year, Which? revealed huge variation in the hygiene ratings of restaurants in different regions. Worst was Enfield in London, where almost half failed to reach hygiene standards; Cherwell District Council in North Oxfordshire was the best.
"Our research reveals a shocking postcode lottery on food hygiene where in some places you may as well toss a coin before deciding which restaurant to trust with your health," says Which? executive director Richard Lloyd.
