Rat-infested kebab shop allowed to reopen after 'improvements'
Shinwari Kebab, located at 52 Manchester Road, was served a notice of closure by Swindon Borough Council on Thursday, June 5, after a customer who believed they had contracted food poisoning contacted them with concerns about rats running around the premises, flies and cockroaches.
Ms McGee, representing Swindon Borough Council, appeared at Swindon Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, June 19, presenting an application for a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Order.
This order was granted by Judge Allman to prohibit Shinwari Kebab from reopening until the council were satisfied that the takeaway, which was handed a zero food hygiene rating on March 19, would no longer pose a threat to public health.
(Image: Swindon Borough Council)
(Image: Swindon Borough Council) The court heard that when food safety officer Ms Essam visited the shop, there was no hot water, cloths were stored on the floor, there were no cleaning products, there was a strong smell of pest urine, and there were urine stains on food containers.
She witnessed the director of the business, Izoitullah Nazari, preparing food with broken gloves, which were missing two fingers, and she later discovered they had been discarded on the naan bread preparation table.
Director of the business Izoitullah Nazari leaving court (Image: Newsquest)
A dirty Just Eat bag had been used to store food; there were concerns about meat juices leaking into the container for ice, and there were large gaps providing access for rats to roam freely.
Additionally, hairs and debris had been left on the oven, and a bag of potatoes left on the floor had been gnawed, along with aprons, tin foil and flour that had arrived on the day of Ms Essam's visit.
She spotted urine stains on the walls, further rat droppings, food and a discarded cigarette butt in other areas of the shop.
Nazari and the current manager of the takeaway told the court that they had spent £26,000 making the required changes, and the shop was now "definitely clean and tidy."
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They added that they had completed their hygiene certifications, had deep cleaned all areas of the eatery to a professional standard, secured storage boxes for food, hired pest control to help them with an ongoing treatment plan and sealed all visible holes to stop rodents getting into the takeaway.
Judge Allman ordered them to pay £2,000 in costs.
Three weeks after the case was presented in court, Shinwari Kebab has been granted permission to reopen following 'sufficient improvements.'
The owners have been warned that there are still changes they must make to ensure they can continue trading.
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Their zero food hygiene rating will also remain in place until at least September to encourage Nazari and his staff to make these necessary improvements.
A Swindon Borough Council spokesperson said: 'The takeaway was allowed to reopen because sufficient improvements have been made by the owner since its closure.
'This has included pest-proofing the entire premises, producing evidence from a professional pest contractor that pests are no longer present in the food business, and ensuring that a deep clean has been carried out with the appropriate chemicals.
'Although our food hygiene team is satisfied that the pest problem has been addressed, other hygiene improvements are still required, and the business owner is working towards those.
'The food hygiene rating for the business will remain at zero until at least September, unless the necessary improvements have been carried out and an application is made for an earlier review.'
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