Takeaway’s grim list of food hygiene nightmares
EAST HULL CHINESE RESTAURANT WAS FINED £25,000
SHOCKING images have released showing the state east Hull Chinese takeaway.
Through an Freedom of Information request, the Mail has obtained the images and report produced by Hull City Council food hygiene inspectors after a visit to Moon River in Holderness Road.
The takeaway was shut down using a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice (HEPN) on March 29, last year after an inspection found potential dangerous food hygiene breaches.
While allowed to reopen after meeting the necessary requirement, a reinspection in May revealed standards had slipped alarmingly once more.
The troubled takeaway was slapped with a huge £25,000 fine last month after the owners were taken to court due to the serious nature of the breaches.
The takeaway had not long bounced back from a previous zero hygiene rating – gaining a top rating of five.
But the visit in March by Hull City Council inspectors found a series of damning breaches.
The report says: “There was little regard to basic food hygiene practices by the owners and staff and routine cleaning and disinfection of equipment and food preparation surfaces were just not taking place.
“It was noted staff been of an were not washing their hands. This was rather concerning as we are currently experiencing a pandemic and government advice has consistently advised of the need to wash hands to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
“Throughout the premises there were large amounts of uncovered food, it was noted there were many flies on the food.
“When food is cooling or being stored at ambient temperature, it is important to ensure the risk of contamination from pests is reduced.
“It was identified in the middle of the food preparation room there was evidence of rat activity. You were aware of this activity as you had laid bait in this area.”
There was a series of other major concerns, including food not being stored at the right temperature, raw and cooked meat being stored together, poor food hygiene training among staff and poor cleaning.
There was even an uncovered tin of paint being stored alongside food items.
Concerns raised included:
■ Being “filthy” throughout.
■ Evidence of cross contamination from raw foods to cooked in storage and preparation.
■ Not wearing protective overclothing and not washing hands after handling raw food.
■ Several areas of the premises were poorly maintained.
■ No antibacterial surface cleaner.
The problems were severe enough to be considered an imminent risk to public health and Hull Magistrates’ Court issued a Hygiene Prohibition Order which forced closure until the Food Safety Team was satisfied it no longer posed a health risk.
The business was allowed to reopen after meeting the necessary standards. However, officers returned on May 19, to investigate a food complaint they had received.
Their investigation found:
■ Flies were found to be crawling on cooked foods.
■ Food handlers were not wearing protective over-clothing.
■ Cooked foods were stored in close proximity to raw food creating a cross contamination risk.
■ High risk foods were stored out of temperature control.
■ Food was stored in dirty cardboard boxes.
■ There was no date labelling system in place to ensure stock control.
■ Access to the hand basin was very difficult so that food handlers could not easily wash their hands.
Once again, officers deemed there was an imminent risk to public health and an order for immediate closure was secured.
At a hearing on December 4, at Hull Magistrates’ Court, the hygiene breaches found during both visits were taken into account. A guilty plea to nine separate offences was entered and the court fined the limited company, Ying 888, £25,000 and £500 costs be paid.
Additionally, the director, Mrs Ying Ni was fined £500 and ordered to pay £500 costs and £100 victim surcharge.
A Self-confessed Hull “alcoholic” has revealed the tragic path a family tragedy led him down.
Barry, who appeared on Monday night’s episode of A&E: After Dark, told doctors someone had hit him across his head “with an iron bar”, leading to a nasty cut that needed urgent treatment.
But the cameras following his story also uncovered his heartbreaking fight with addiction.
A doctor was filmed asking him if he could remember the incident which left him bloodied before going on to question him on his memory of the rest of his day.
“They jumped out and hit me. I got hit with an iron bar across my head,” he said, explaining that the incident occurred as he was walking down the street.
The actual cause of the injury was never made clear, however his struggles went beyond the direct reason for his admission to Hull Royal Infirmary’s A&E department.
When pushed on his memory prior to the injury, Barry said: “What did I do this morning? I sat and drank a bottle of vodka.
“Once you’re an alcoholic, you’re an alcoholic. It’s hard to stop. You can never stop it because you need to be weaned off it.”
Barry had to have sutures stitched into the nasty wound on the back of his head after admitting drinking all day.
In a heartfelt moment during the episode, the Hull man made the heartbreaking admission that he began on his downward spiral after his mum passed away.
At the end of the show, it was revealed that, since filming, his head “is healing well” and that he is getting support to work on his addiction.
Meanwhile, doctors and nurses were also shown tackling some of their harder-to-handle patients.
One man, whose identity was protected, was caught on camera after being taken into Hull Royal having told officers he had swallowed drugs. However, it was a ploy to avoid being taken into custody.
With a duty of care to the patient, a doctor checked him over and found him to be healthy, despite struggling to cope with the man who was refusing to co-operate with the emergency service workers.
Having told officers off-camera of his drug use, it was later revealed that there were none in his system.
“Listen, I haven’t took no drugs. I don’t even take aspirin. I don’t even take aspirin when I’ve got a headache or owt like that. I don’t take drugs. I will not touch drugs,” he later told doctors.
He was released and taken into custody. He later pleaded guilty to causing criminal damage.
Several other cases were also followed in the second season of A&E After Dark, which was filmed during the coronavirus pandemic.
Glen, a young Hull man, was treated for a severe ankle break in scenes which included experts setting it back into place.
Elsewhere, Danny, a 37-year-old jockey, was also tended to after he fell from a horse and was kicked in the eye socket as a second one passed.
Despite fears of a brain injury, a CT scan revealed that he had avoided potentially life-threatening injuries, but he still required 50 stitches in his badly damaged face as well as an operation on his sight.
A&E After Dark airs on Monday nights at 9pm on Channel 5.
THE battle against Covid-19 does not end once a patient leaves hospital and NHS staff in Hull are making sure they continue to receive vital support.
Physiotherapists Hull University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust have developed a rehabilitation guide to help people on their journey back to health after being admitted to Hull Royal Infirmary or Castle Hill Hospital.
As the virus affects the lungs, breathlessness is very common for people with the virus. It can happen either when they are active or even when they are sitting or lying down.
The guide, produced by the team, shows people how to relax and at control their breathing better as well as exercises they can do and techniques to try. It also shows people how to lie, sit or stand to reduce breathlessness and the effort of breathing.
Rebecca Redmond, clinical lead physiotherapist in respiratory at Hull Royal Infirmary, said: “We know Covid-19 can continue to have an impact on people’s lives for some time after they are discharged from hospital.
“We’ve produced this guide to show people some of the common problems, both physical and psychological, that they may be facing once they return home.
“Our aim is to support people even after they have left hospital so they can begin their journey back to full health after contracting this terrible disease.”
People who have been in hospital for some time can also lose muscle strength so the guide encourages people to reintroduce gentle exercises.
These include ankle raises, seated walks and balance work, using the exercises given to them to do at home by the physiotherapists who looked after them while they were in Castle Hill or Hull Royal.
Their hospital stay may also have affected their mental health, so the guide supports people to get back to a more normal way of life by reintroducing their usual routine, such as getting up at their usual time, putting on their clothes and opening their curtains.
Ms Redmond said: “The virus can affect people’s energy levels for weeks or even months after contracting the virus, leaving them feeling weak and drained during any activity. It can also leave people struggling to concentrate or feeling more frustrated, tearful and anxious.”
The leaflet encourages people to complete a “fatigue diary” to help them understand how they are affected by different activities, allowing them to identify patterns to manage their fatigue better.
Nutrition and hydration play an important part in a person’s recovery from ill health, so tips on eating and included.
People who have been admitted to hospital with the virus may struggle to process a frightening experience so the team has also outlined some of the problems people may be experiencing once they return home, such as nightmares and flashbacks.
The leaflet outlines some selfcare advice and signposts people to services which can help them. You can read it at www.hey.nhs.uk/ patient-leaflet/coronavirus-covid19-rehabilitation-guide/ drinking well are also