Takeaway’s boss hid from health inspectors
The boss of a takeaway was found hiding in a storage room by environmental health inspectors as they discovered his business was riddled with rats.
Sunderland City Council officers and pest controllers uncovered a series of issues after calls about a rodent infestation outside Pizza King in Front Street, Chilton Moor.
As these were raised with a staff member, they were told the business was run by his brother Arash Rezakhani, who was in hospital and was spoken to on the phone.
As they continued their search, they unscrewed a locked door on a storage area, only to find Rezakhani hiding inside, with dead rats and filthy equipment found in the room.
Checks also discovered droppings beneath food preparation tables, holes allowing vermin access, evidence of gnawing and damaged drinks fridge.
Equipment was covered in grease and food debris, paint was peeling from the walls and food, including raw chicken, was stored incorrectly and in damaged containers, with an unsanitary cloth used to wipe down a counter.
Michelle Irving, representing the council, told South Tyne side Magistrates’ Court an emergency closure order was placed on the business.
She told the bench: “The walls were dirty and there was an accumulation of grease which had run down the walls, suggesting it had been like that for some time.
"This is a food source for rodents and the officers found smudge marks on the wall, clearly caused by rats’ fur.”
In a later interview, Rezakhani told the council he had been off work for two or three weeks in the time leading up to the inspection and it had been clean up until that point.
During return visits, officers found buckets of water on the shop floor and were told the landlord’s workmen had not completed a roof repair before leaving. A hole was found allowing rain to pour onto the ceilingabovethe kitchen,while electric cables were held together with tape.
The 45-year-old, a married father-of-four from Gosforth Avenue, South Shields, admitted six counts of failing to
comply with EU food safety and hygiene rules.
He also admitted a count of contravening an improvement notice after failing to pass on an electrics certificate within the time limits of the order, with all charges relating to May 29, 2019.
Michael Gibson, mitigating, said Rezakhani’s decision to hide had been “childish” adding the takeaway had been closed for five weeks due to the issues.
After 16 years in the trade, with no previous concerns, he is now on Universal Credit after his brother dissolved the business a fortnight ago.
Mr Gibson said rats had been attracted after oil was poured down a drain by staff from another business, and that he had called Northumbrian Water out to clear it and tried to catch rats himself.
He said: "He bought some traps and some poison and caught one rat and thought that was it.”
As the bench fined him a total of £800, ordered him to pay an £80 victim surcharge and £1,700 in costs, he told them: “I’m really ashamed, I’ve never done anything wrong in my life.
"This is the first time I have been to court.”