Restaurant shut after maggots fell from ceiling
A POPULAR restaurant in Birmingham’s Chinese Quarter has been ordered to shut down due to an ‘extensive’ mice infestation.
China Court Restaurant, opposite The Arcadian, was inspected by Birmingham City Council following a complaint that maggots fell from the ceiling.
The authority was successful in its application for a hygiene emergency prohibition order at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court, which ruled there was an ‘imminent risk of injury to health’. A host of issues will have to be addressed to the council’s satisfaction before it can reopen.
Environmental health officer Savraj Bahia confirmed she inspected the premises on May 31. She said: “Initially we had a complaint that when a diner sat down at the restaurant some maggots fell from the ceiling on to the table.”
She proceeded to take the court through a series of photographs demonstrating mice droppings on shelving, work surfaces and near a freezer. Ms Bahia also highlighted other ‘greasy’ and ‘filthy’ conditions at the premises.
Asked specifically about the maggots the officer suggested a mouse could have died and started to decay above the ceiling boards.
Outlining the risk presented by mice Ms Bahia added: “Mice are incontinent. They are always on the move, constantly urinating and defecating. Mouse droppings were on work surfaces in the kitchen which would have been used to prepare food. Whether they were sanitised before I visited I don’t know. Quite clearly the cleaning was very poor, in my opinion it was non-existent. Mice are known to carry salmonella which can be a severe poisoning bacteria for humans.”
The officer confirmed the management at the premises, run by Southside Restaurant, had been properly notified but they would not be attending the court hearing because they were unable to bring in a deep cleaner until the case date.