Restaurant fined over hygiene breaches

The owner of a Telford Indian restaurant has been ordered to pay almost £8,000 after he admitted four breaches of food hygiene laws.

Abdul Khalique, who runs the Oakengates Tandoori in Market Street, was fined £1,000 for each of the four offences at Telford Magistrates Court yesterday.

Khalique, of Small Heath, Birmingham, was also ordered to pay £3,700 costs and a victim surcharge of £15.

The charges admitted were that he failed to ensure the food premises were kept clean, that food handlers were supervised and trained, that a permanent food safety management system was maintained and that the restaurant was constructed to permit good food hygiene practices.

The charges followed a routine inspection by officers from Telford & Wrekin Council's environmental health department in June last year.

Council spokeswoman Sylvia Herbert said after the hearing: "Telford & Wrekin Council regularly inspects a wide range of restaurants and food premises to ensure these are properly maintained and have acceptable standards of hygiene.

"The inspections also feed into the council's popular Scores on the Doors scheme which aims to improve standards of food hygiene and practice across Telford & Wrekin and give residents and visitors alike the ability to make an informed choice about where they eat and buy food."