Court hands £11k bill to mice-infested Hove takeaway

A takeaway in Hove has been handed a bill of more than £11,000 for breaking food hygiene laws.

Golden Fried Chicken (GFC), in Church Road, Hove, had a nest of mice in an area where food was stored and its premises were filthy.

Muharrem Kartal, 47, the owner of GFC, pleaded guilty to 17 counts of failing to comply with food hygiene regulations on Tuesday 15 January and Friday 25 January.

At Brighton Magistrates’ Court today (Tuesday 27 August) Mr Kartal was fined £6,950 and ordered to pay £4,707 in costs and a £120 victim surcharge

He was asked to pay the first £2,000 of the £11,877 total within seven days.

The case was brought by Brighton and Hove City Council.

Len Batten, prosecuting, told magistrates how food safety officers found the premises dirty, greasy and without sufficient measures to prevent pests entering food areas.

Councillor Pete West

He said that mouse droppings were seen in various parts of the premises and a mouse nest was found next to a box of carrots in the storeroom.

The food safety officers saw food equipment that was not adequately cleaned, with a build-up of fat, dirt and meat particles inside the mincing machine.

There were blood smears on the inside of the door to the walk-in chiller and food debris on the floor.

Pizza toppings were stored at temperatures too high to prevent the growth of food poisoning bacteria and salads were at risk of contamination from juices dripping from raw meat.

Other breaches included large deposits of congealed fat in the yard.

The court was told how the premises had been visited on a number of occasions since 2010.

While some improvements were made during this time, there was evidence of significant breaches of food hygiene rules.

Councillor Pete West, the chairman of the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, said: “The council’s food safety team works closely with food outlets in the city and we know most businesses take pride in their cleanliness and take food safety very seriously.

“There is no excuse for appalling conditions such as these and, despite lots of advice and visits, the premises failed to respond, leaving us no alternative but to intervene to protect the public.”