Telford hotel owners fined £20,000 for 'filthy' kitchens
A hotel food company was fined £20,000 after inspectors found “filthy” kitchens at a Telford hotel.
The two kitchens at the Mercure Madeley Court Hotel had a dirty floor and damaged walls, rusty shelves in a fridge and dirty wash basins when inspectors visited in February last year.
This week at Telford Magistrates Court the hotel’s food business operator THG No. 3, based in Warwickshire, pleaded guilty to five counts of failing to keep food surfaces and facilities clean and safe in the main kitchen and the Mill House, which is used for weddings.
The counts covered damaged walls and a floor in the Mill House bar, a dirty floor in the breakfast server and a damaged ice scoop left in contact with ice in an ice machine.
Also found was a dirty fridge, chiller and freezer.
Catherine Girvan, who represented Telford & Wrekin Council in court, described the kitchen conditions as “filthy”.
The council’s food safety inspectors visited the hotel in Madeley on February 27 last year following a tip from a member of the public.
The hotel is a 16th Century manor house, now used as a wedding venue. It has a food hygiene rating of 0 following a more recent inspection.
THG No. 3 was sentenced to five £4,000 fines, one for each of the charges, and ordered to pay costs of £1,628.
A sixth charge was withdrawn from the case.
