Inspector closes restaurant as ‘filthy’ conditions found
‘FILTHY’ conditions, a lack of hot running water and the presence of a ‘ high volume of living and dead flies throughout the premises’ resulted in the Food Safety Authority issuing a closure order for Little Italy restaurant at 3 Irish Street Bunclody.
The order was issued last month on the grounds that the restaurant ‘is or is likely to be a grave and immediate danger to public health’.
The inspector who issued the closure order noted that there was no means of providing hot water at the sinks and wash hand basins serving the the kitchen and staff sanitary accomodation area. The inspector went on to say: ‘areas of the food premises were unclean and in a filthy condition. These areas included floor areas throughout, behind and underneath sink areas, food equipment, refrigeration and freezer areas and all areas of the dry goods store, potato preparation area and the staff sanitary accomodation area’.
The inspector also pointed out a ‘ high volume of living and dead flies’ throughout the premises, noting that there were ‘significant accumulations of dead flies in the light fittings in the dry goods store and on shelving in the dry goods store, adjacent to open food packaging’.
The restaurant was immediately shut down, however, owner Mr Taulant Cala took to Facebook last weekend to defend his practice. He told customers that if his shop was as dirty as what is being made out, he would have shut it down himself. He went on to say that the shop re-opened three days later.
‘I can say that I had issue with health and safety in my business,’ he said. ‘But not as much as they said. I can confirm that my shop was closed for two days due to a family emergency and when I open(ed) I was cleaning. They found me cleaning. If my business was that dirty as they say, how could I open after 3 days? With that declaration they have caused me a lot of damage.’