DREADFUL CONDITIONS DISCOVERED IN PROBE

HEALTH was put at risk by the filthy conditions of a takeaway, a court was told.

Environmental health officers visited Pizzaholic on Chillingham Road, Heaton, Newcastle, in July after complaints that rats had been seen in the back yard.

No evidence of pests was found, but inspectors were shocked to find “filthy” conditions in the kitchen and a “putrid smell” from the fridge.

In April the company that owned Pizzaholic, UK Pizza Heaton Limited, was fined £4,000 at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court.

Now the company’s owner Reza Bahmanyar has appeared in court to face eight counts of breaching food safety and hygiene regulations.

Bahmanyar, who is no longer involved in running Pizzaholic, admitted the offences, telling magistrates, “My shop was not clean.”

The 33-year-old, of Baltic Quay, Gateshead, said: “At the time I was not in the shop.

“I had a lot of family problems and I couldn’t go to the shop, I left my manager to look after it.”

He added that after the inspection his former business partner came back from Turkey to sort out the problems and the takeaway has now been given a five star hygiene rating.

Julie Fisher, representing Newcastle City Council, said Pizzaholic was a “very busy takeaway” which does a high proportion of its trade online.

She told the court when inspectors visited in July 2017 they found:

■“filthy” preparation areas, which were covered in grease and old food debris

■ “filthy” cooking and food preparation equipment

■ a fridge in a bad state or repair, which was covered in dirt and food debris and had a “putrid smell” coming from one of the compartments

■ a “filthy” dough mixer, which would contaminate any fresh dough put in it ■ cracked or missing wall tiles ■ cracked or missing floor tiles, which had been hidden with pieces of cardboard

■ loose and badly damaged electrical sockets and dirty switches

■ a large amount of rubbish, including 30 full black bin bags, an old microwave, cardboard boxes, brushes, mops and food packaging, which were piled in the rear yard, and

■ Food handlers not wearing aprons.

Magistrate told Bahmanyar there was “absolutely no doubt” that the takeaway conditions at the time of the inspection were “a danger to the public”.

They fined him £400 for each offence and ordered him to pay £902 costs, £150 legal fees and a £40 surcharge.

The chair of the bench said: “I’m glad you’ve sorted everything out but we must deal with the offences as they were. We’ve heard about your family problems but that’s no excuse for putting the public at risk.” CHAIRMAN OF THE BENCH Filthy found by envirnmental health officers inside the Pizzaholic takeaway