Restaurant closed after rat crawled out of drain

INSPECTORS found serious problems at several food businesses last month, which included flies in dough, a rat crawling out of a drain and a person sleeping in a kitchen.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland said eight closure orders were served on premises last month.

A closure order was served on Oldcourt East Bakery, on Main Street, Castlelyons, Co Cork, after a HSE inspector reported “numerous flies, crawling insects and cobwebs” were seen on surfaces and equipment throughout the bakery. Four flies were also observed in mixture of dough.

The inspector also reported that a person “slept overnight in the main bakery kitchen”, adding “a high degree of personal cleanliness was not maintained”.

The Khyber Garden restaurant of Market Street in Kells, Co Meath, was also served with a closure order last month affecting the entire premises. An inspector’s report noted rat dropping were seen in the boiler room off the kitchen as well as on the floor in the dry goods storage area.

“A live rat was observed in the rear yard beside a defective open drain. The rat emanated from the drain when the tap at the kitchen sink was switched on. The kitchen opens directly onto the yard area and the kitchen door was wide open at the time of the sighting of the rat,” said the inspector.

They said the sighting of the rat and the droppings posed a “grave and immediate danger to public health”.

Meanwhile, an inspection of the Bengal Indian Foodstall, which was trading at Semple Stadium in Thurles, Co Tipperary, on September 21 last, found there was no water available at the wash-hand basin for washing hands and resulted in a closure order being served.