Customer served COCKROACH in her meal as Dudley restaurant owner is fined for infestation

Shanti Devi Sharma, director of the company which ran Isha’s at Stourbridge Road, Lye, has been fined £9,000 after pleading guilty to nine offences under food safety and hygiene regulations following the incident in March last year.

Dudley magistrates heard that environmental health officers carried out an inspection of the restaurant, after receiving the customer complaint.

And they discovered cockroaches in the kitchen and beneath a chest freezer – sparking the premises to be closed immediately.

This was subsequently backed by a court order, which forced the closure of the business for six weeks until the infestation was eradicated.

The offences included failing to have adequate procedures in place to deal with pests and failing to keep the restaurant clean and in good repair.

Further offences related to dirty and damaged equipment, damaged floor coverings and a ceiling.

Magistrates fined 44-year-old Sharma, of Bath Meadow, Halesowen, £9,000 and order her to pay £909 costs and a £100 victim surcharge.

Councillor Peter Miller, cabinet member responsible for health and wellbeing, said afterwards: Conditions at this restaurant were appalling.

"The premises were immediately closed and remained so for several weeks until our environmental health officers were fully satisfied the problem had been dealt with and that there was no further risk to the health of the public.

"The owner of the business has quite rightly now been held to account.

“I want to assure the public that cases like this are very rare and the vast majority of food businesses in the borough are well run and compliant with hygiene and safety rules.

“More than half of all food outlets in the borough are achieving the top hygiene rating of five and the vast majority achieve a satisfactory rating of three or more.

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