Rat found floating in takeaway oil

A DEAD rat was discovered floating in a vat of oil by health inspectors at a Dudley kebab shop.

The former owners of Mamaz takeaway in Wolverhampton Street have been fined after pleading guilty to 11 food safety and hygiene charges at the Dudley Magistrates Court.

Maqsood Ahmed, aged 41, and Mohammed Saghir, aged 43, will have to pay £11,000 each as well as £410 costs and a £100 victim surcharge.

Dudley Council’s environmental health officers made the stomach-churning discovery in August last year when they found the lid to the waste oil container in the rear yard was missing. A dead rat was floating on top.

The owners had failed to put in place adequate food safety management procedures.

Councillor Cathy Bayton, cabinet member responsible for health and wellbeing said: “Conditions at this takeaway were extremely poor and it is right the owners of this business, which has now closed, have been held to account and incurred such a significant financial penalty.

“I would urge consumers to check out hygiene ratings online as these will give consumers a glimpse of what is going on in the kitchen when they eat out, or behind the scenes at the places they shop.”

The offences included failing to keep the premises and equipment clean and in good repair and condition, failing to provide hot water to the sink and wash hand basin and failing to comply with an improvement notice requiring hot water to be provided at a sink.

The takeaway has since changed its name and has been re-opened by new owners.