Rat in my kitchen

An Exeter food business that has been described by a Judge as only fit for rats and mice has been ordered to pay £7,500 for failing to comply with five hygiene compliance notices. Exeter City Council was awarded £10,000 for barrister costs after the defendant elected trial at Crown Court where he chose to plead guilty.

Gulam Choudhury, operator of the Maharajah takeaway in Exeter, initially pleaded not guilty to complying with food hygiene offences due to being jailed for a month for running a number of restaurants despite being declared a bankrupt. Electing for trial at Crown Court Mr Choudhury then changed his plea to guilty.

The hygiene improvement notices required structural repair to floors, walls and shelving, adequate pest control measures and a documented food safety management system. No attempt had been made to comply with the notices by their expiry in February 2009. During the inspection dead flies and weevils were littered over worktops while rats had gnawed an old payphone.

Sentencing, Judge Cotter said that the only diners who could eat safely at the Maharajah were the rats and mice present. The quote appeared in the headlines of the local paper.

Investigating EHO Simon Ruddy has since been the subject of a story with a local reporter accompanying him on food inspections.