Restaurant bosses fined after food hygiene failings including dead rat found in warehouse
“Officers found inadequate cleaning, food contamination risks, rodent droppings and a dead rat”
The owners of a city centre restaurant have been fined for food hygiene and licensing breaches.
The operators of Lebaneat, a restaurant in Durham City specialising in Lebanese food, were taken to court after inspectors from Durham County Council carried out inspections at Lebaneat on North Bailey in Durham and its warehouse in Meadowfield.
A council spokesperson said: “Environmental Health officers found inadequate cleaning, food contamination risks, rodent droppings and a dead rat.
“Operators had also not notified us of a change in ownership at the North Bailey site. In a separate inspection of the North Bailey premises, our licensing officers found that training records had not been logged for two years, and two members of staff had ‘no right to work’.”
In a hearing at Peterlee Magistrates Court, Lebaneat (Yarm) Limited was found guilty of failing to keep the North Bailey premises clean and of failing to register Lebaneat (Yarm) Limited with the council.
O&A International was found guilty of failing to keep the Meadowfield premises clean; failing to ensure all stages of production were protected against contamination; failing to notify the council of each establishment under its control; and failing to put in place and maintain Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point procedures.
The licence holder for the North Bailey premises, was found guilty of failing to carry out right to work checks on employees and of failing to ensure staff were fully trained.
Lebaneat (Yarm) Limited and O&A International Limited were each ordered to pay a fine of £4,800, a £1,920 victim surcharge, and £850 costs, resulting in a combined total of £15,140. The director of the companies was ordered to pay an additional £832 fine and £332 victim surcharge, totalling £1,164.