OWNER OF MOUSE INFESTED TAKEAWAY IGNORED ALL THE RULES

Ali Aslam, who ran the Alishaan Indian takeaway on Littleton Road, allowed staff to prepare food in an area littered with mouse droppings but blamed his pest control contractor for failing to keep the takeaway mouse-free.

And earlier this month he failed to attend court to answer the charges, leading to a warrant being issued for his arrest.

Mr Aslam, of Mount Lane, Gatley, appeared at Salford and Manchester magistrates court on Thursday 19 October. He pleaded guilty to five offences under the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013, one offence of serving hot food after 11pm without a late night refreshment licence contrary to the Licensing Act 2003 and one offence of failing to produce documents showing he had trade waste collection arrangements in place, contrary to the Environmental Protection Act 1990. 

He was fined a total of £1,300, ordered to pay costs of £1,200 and a victim surcharge of £650. The takeaway has now closed.

The court heard that during a routine food hygiene inspection on 8 March this year officers found staff preparing food in an area infested with mice. There were large and very visible amounts of mouse droppings on shelves, in card board boxes where food containers were stored and on the floor throughout the premises.

Mr Aslam claimed it was the responsibility of the pest control contractor he employed to keep the premises clear – but records showed the company had not visited since December 2016 and Mr Aslam had not chased them up.

Officers also saw large amounts of food debris and grease on surfaces including the floors, preparation tables and shelving throughout the food preparation area and could clearly distinguish between areas which had been cleaned and those which had not.

A chopping board used for cutting raw meat was stored in direct contact with a board for preparing salad while cooked meat was not being stored at the correct temperature.

The boiler was broken so food handlers had no hot water for cleaning or to wash their hands with and it was unclear what Mr Aslam had done to address this.

From the haphazard and disorganised paperwork he produced it was also impossible to see what food safety controls were in place, including monitoring of high risk food. Staff were not wearing protective clothing and had not received formal food hygiene training.

Mr Aslam agreed to close the premises for a week to put matters right but six weeks after re-opening he closed the shop. 

The court was told that, over the ten years he traded, there had been a recurring pattern of similar problems which he addressed but then allowed standards to slip again.

Mr Aslam also failed to produce evidence that he had trade waste arrangements in place and just 12 days earlier had served a council officer making a test purchase of hot food at 11.45pm. Mr Aslam’s late night refreshment licence was suspended in October 2015 for non payment of the fee and he was well aware he must not serve hot food after 11pm.

In court Mr Aslam said 2016 was a bad year for him as he had suffered ill health personally and in his family, staffing problems and loss of revenue due to other takeaways opening in the area. He continued to blame the landlord for problems with the boiler and his pest control contractor for the infestation but said he had sought to minimise the risk to the public. He now works as a delivery driver.

Speaking after the case, Councillor David Lancaster, lead member for environment and community safety, said:

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“Food business owners have a responsibility to keep their premises clean, safe and well run to protect their customers. If we find traders putting people’s health at risk we can and will take action against them as this case demonstrates.”

The five food safety offences were:

a) Failure to have adequate procedures in place to control pests;
b) Failure to keep a food premises clean;
c) Failure to provide hot running water for the cleaning, disinfecting and storage of working utensils and equipment and for hand washing;
d) Failure to implement and maintain a permanent procedure or procedures based on the HACCP principles; and
e) Failure to supervise and instruct and/or train food handlers in food hygiene matters commensurate with their work activity

All the food safety offences are contrary to Regulation 19(1) of the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013.