Restaurant closes down over cockroach invasion
An Indian restaurant has been forced to close following an infestation of cockroaches. Tandoor Mahal in Maidstone has been ordered to pay £1,300, after an inspection discovered the vermin problem.
A notice, in the window of the Medway Street eatery, said it posed “an imminent risk to public health.”
Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) placed an emergency prohibition order on the establishment on Thursday, meaning it had to cease trading immediately. On Tuesday Medway Magistrates Court ruled the restaurant will remain closed until environmental health officers are satisfied sufficient changes have been made to remove imminent health risks.
The bench was handed a dossier of photos and heard an environmental health officer left with a bag of the pests, described as German cockroaches. Chairwoman of the bench, Kaur Saini, said: “We can’t unsee or unread that. What we have read and seen is enough to see how bad the situation is.” As well as the bugs, Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) identified poor maintenance and cleaning at the restaurant, which it said caused a “significant risk” of food contamination. An order was also placed on Shalim Karim, the manager. The eatery, which has been running for 35 years, is ranked third most popular out of 21 Indian restaurants in Maidstone on tripadvisor, earning it a certificate of excellence from the review site. When it was last inspected, in June 2018, it was given a hygiene rating of four out of five by the council. A spokesman for MBC said: “Council officers from the food safety team will continue to work with the business with the expectation it will be able to reopen in the near future when all necessary works have been undertaken.”
Mr Karim’s brother Shiper Karim, the restaurant owner, said: “This is the first time we have faced this issue.
“Pest control was called immediately and took action. I’m refurbishing my kitchen completely and will hopefully reopen soon. I’m extremely sorry for any inconvenience.”