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Metro
07-07-2025
- Metro
Posh London restaurant fined £31,000 after dead mouse found in kitchen
A dead mouse discovered at a former London restaurant frequented by celebrities and royalty was among the atrocious conditions that led to the operator being fined more than £30,000. New photographs showing the appalling unsanitary scenes at Beach Blanket Babylon have emerged after the former owner was convicted at court of a string of food hygiene offences. Another image shows cockroaches in a kitchen area at the once upmarket townhouse and ballroom in Notting Hill, west London, which was also found to be infested with mice and rats. Other hygiene breaches discovered by inspectors from Kensington and Chelsea Council included packets of till white seeds, cocoa powder and flaked almonds that had been gnawed by mice. The now closed restaurant became a den of hygiene horrors despite the likes of Prince William and Kate, Prince Harry, Rita Ora, Selena Gomez and Naomi Campbell having been among the customers. Conor George Thomson-Moore, 30, was ordered to pay a total of £31,000 for serious breaches of food and hygiene legislation. The amount imposed at Westminster Magistrates' Court included a £7,000 fine, £2,000 victim surcharge and the council's legal costs of £22,000. Thomson-Moore, who is no longer the owner, was also banned from operating a food business for 10 years under the Food Hygiene England Regulations at the hearing on June 16. He had previously pleaded guilty to contamination of food with mouse droppings, poor cleaning, inadequate pest control procedures and failure to comply with a Hygiene Improvement Notice. The prosecution was brought after inspectors found the breaches during a visit in September 2022, including droppings around the premises and food contaminated with mouse faeces. A further visit in February 2023 found there was no hot water and further issues with pest control. Hygiene Improvement Notices were served but the food business operators failed to comply with one of the notices for lack of hot water to a wash hand basin. The restaurant had marketed itself as a townhouse with a ballroom 'serving beautiful British food and inspired cocktails from lunch till late.' But one nearby cafe worker previously told Metro: 'I never went there because I heard horrible things. 'Apparently it was really dirty in there, like the back of house had rats and bugs, if it reopened I wouldn't go in.' Cllr Johnny Thalassites, lead member for environment and planning said: 'Kensington and Chelsea is home to a vibrant and growing food scene, visited and enjoyed by many. 'We support our local businesses, but we also take food safety seriously. More Trending 'Our officers work with businesses to ensure high standards are maintained that our residents and visitors expect and deserve. 'This prosecution shows our commitment to being a safe and fair borough and we won't hesitate to act against those businesses who don't play by the rules.' Metro has attempted to contact Mr Thomson-Moore for comment. Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact MORE: 'Gnawed bag of popcorn' discovery at Tesco store triggered hygiene investigation MORE: Mouse droppings discovered 'throughout' kitchen at McDonald's franchise MORE: Restaurant popular with Royals and celebs shuts down after rat poo found in food
Scottish Sun
29-06-2025
- Scottish Sun
Cafe loved by Princess Diana named in her honour could lose licence after employing illegal migrants
The café sometimes paid workers with food and was being used to smoke shisha CAFE SCANDAL Cafe loved by Princess Diana named in her honour could lose licence after employing illegal migrants Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A CAFE once loved by Princess Diana and named in her honour could lose its license after employing illegal migrants. The café also sometimes paid employees with food and was being unlawfully used to smoke shisha in a shocking find by police. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 The Café Diana was loved by the princess after it was named in her honour 3 Tubs containing suspected illegal shisha were confiscated from Café Diana in May Credit: Kensington and Chelsea Council The Café Diana first opened its doors close to Kensington Palace, west London, in 1989. It became a favourite of the princess after it was named in her honour. Shortly before her death in 1997 she had sent a touching letter to the café's owner which said: 'I wanted to write personally, to thank you so very much for the beautiful flowers you sent for my birthday.' Abdul-Basit Daoud, the owner, fondly recalled how Diana first visited the café days after it opened. He said: "She started coming more often, bringing the kids here sometimes for breakfast. "The kids used to take breakfast, like English breakfast. "Herself, she used to have cappuccino, cake, some croissants, something like this but she sometimes had English breakfast too." Dozens of photographs of the princess adorn the walls, including one she herself had presented as a gift, as the cafe is now a popular tourist destination. But the Home Office has now applied for the establishment's license to be revoked. During four inspections between 2019 and 2024, seven illegal workers from Albania and Egypt were found. The basement was also being unlawfully used to smoke shisha. One migrant had been employed there for more than two years, according to an immigration enforcement report. Other workers said they received food instead of pay for their work. This "raised concerns about labour exploitation in the premises". Heartbreak for Harry & William as bodyguard who was with young princes when their mum Diana was killed in car crash dies One chef was found to have been "paid in food" and had arrived in the UK on a business visa that expired in 2015. Owner Daoud oversaw recruitment, checking the right-to-work and immigration status of new staff members. He told officers that staff were paid in cash and some received free food in return for working at the cafe. The inspectors report stated: 'Café Diana has been found employing illegal workers. "This business has clearly failed to meet the prevention of crime and disorder and public safety objectives.' As a result, the café was slapped with a £135,000 fine in April for illegally employing three migrants. Customers were also found to be smoking shisha in the basement during an enforcement visit in May with police and trading officers. They seized 45 unlabelled tubs of shisha tobacco. Lawyers for the café's owners said in a letter to the council: 'Immediately upon becoming aware of the reported issues, our client undertook swift and decisive action by evicting the tenant responsible for the unauthorised activities.' The café has now suggested suspending its license for three months. This is to ensure that "right-to-work" immigration checks are carried out on all staff members.
The Irish Sun
29-06-2025
- The Irish Sun
Cafe loved by Princess Diana named in her honour could lose licence after employing illegal migrants
A CAFE once loved by Princess Diana and named in her honour could lose its license after employing illegal migrants. The café also sometimes paid employees with food and was being unlawfully used to smoke shisha in a shocking find by police. Advertisement 3 The Café Diana was loved by the princess after it was named in her honour 3 Tubs containing suspected illegal shisha were confiscated from Café Diana in May Credit: Kensington and Chelsea Council The Café Diana first opened its doors close to It became a favourite of the princess after it was named in her honour. Shortly before her death in 1997 she had sent a touching letter to the café's owner which said: 'I wanted to write personally, to thank you so very much for the beautiful flowers you sent for my birthday.' Abdul-Basit Daoud, the owner, fondly recalled how Diana first visited the café days after it opened. Advertisement Read more News He said: "She started coming more often, bringing the kids here sometimes for breakfast. "The kids used to take breakfast, like English breakfast. "Herself, she used to have cappuccino, cake, some croissants, something like this but she sometimes had English breakfast too." Dozens of photographs of the princess adorn the walls, including one she herself had presented as a gift, as the cafe is now a popular tourist destination. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Breaking But the Home Office has now applied for the establishment's license to be revoked. During four inspections between 2019 and 2024, seven illegal workers from Albania and Egypt were found. The basement was also being unlawfully used to smoke shisha. One migrant had been employed there for more than two years, according to an immigration enforcement report. Advertisement Other workers said they received food instead of pay for their work. This "raised concerns about labour exploitation in the premises". Heartbreak for Harry & William as bodyguard who was with young princes when their mum Diana was killed in car crash dies One chef was found to have been "paid in food" and had arrived in the UK on a business visa that expired in 2015. Owner Daoud oversaw recruitment, checking the right-to-work and immigration status of new staff members. Advertisement He told officers that staff were paid in cash and some received free food in return for working at the cafe. The inspectors report stated: 'Café Diana has been found employing illegal workers. "This business has clearly failed to meet the prevention of crime and disorder and public safety objectives.' As a result, the café was slapped with a £135,000 fine in April for illegally employing three migrants. Advertisement Customers were also found to be smoking shisha in the basement during an enforcement visit in May with police and trading officers. They seized 45 unlabelled tubs of shisha tobacco. Lawyers for the café's owners said in a letter to the council: 'Immediately upon becoming aware of the reported issues, our client undertook swift and decisive action by evicting the tenant responsible for the unauthorised activities.' The café has now suggested suspending its license for three months. Advertisement This is to ensure that "right-to-work" immigration checks are carried out on all staff members. 3 The café was slapped with a £135,000 fine in April for illegally employing three migrants Credit: TripAdvisor
Daily Mail
18-06-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Owner of restaurant favoured by Royals, Rita Ora and Selena Gomez hit with £31,000 court bill after serious food and hygiene legislation breaches
The owner of an up-market restaurant favoured by the Royals and A-listers has been hit with a £31,000 fine for serious food and hygiene breaches. Conor George Thomson-Moore, the owner of Beach Blanket Babylon in Notting Hill, west London, was sentenced on Monday and ordered to pay a £7,000 fine, £2,000 victim surcharge and the Council's legal costs of £22,000. The 30-year-old was also banned from operating a food business for ten years. It comes after the renowned eatery was forced to close when it was found to have a serious infestation of mice, rats and cockroaches - with food contaminated by mouse droppings. Kensington and Chelsea Council officers inspected the restaurant in September 2022 and found poor cleaning, inadequate pest control procedures and a failure to comply with a Hygiene Improvement Notice under the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013. The venue was a former favourite of Prince William and Princess Kate as well as Selena Gomez and Rita Ora. The dirty and unclean condition of the restaurant saw it served with an Emergency Hygiene Prohibition Notice. No hot water and more pest issues found in a 2023 inspection meant they were also served with Hygiene Improvement Notices. Operators Robert Kenneth Newmark and Conor George Thomson-Moore admitted serious food offences in April, with the offences related to poor food hygiene practices. Thomson-Moore pleaded guilty to four charges at City of London Magistrates' Court and the charges against Mr Newmark were dropped. District Judge Clarke said, 'this was probably one of the egregious cases I have seen'. At the time of the offences, it is believed the former restaurant boss was already disqualified 'for conduct' as an 'unfit' director of Café Hampstead, according to Companies House. The disgraced hospitality boss has for years had money troubles follow him, allegedly owing thousands of pounds to unpaid staff and creditors. But he has now fled to Spain, where he attends parties, enjoys fine dinners and is seen on lavish boats. A Soho restaurant he previously owned called Martha's came under fire in 2019 when staff protested with placards outside the establishment, claiming they had been left out of pocket - with sums of more than £1,500 owed to some of them. Thomson-Moore, insisted that all staff who were due wages had been paid, blaming the row on confusion arising during a managerial handover and a former manager who he said was bad at paperwork, according to the Guardian. The restaurant was forced to shut down after it became insolvent. In the same year, Café Hampstead went bust as it owed £346,464.26 in unpaid debts. The amount included £107,857.40 to Camden Council for business rates and £144,000 to HMRC for unpaid tax and VAT, according to papers filed by Café Hampstead Ltd's liquidators, seen by Ham&High. Other creditors include hospitality recruitment firms, wine suppliers and a plumber. Councilor Johnny Thalassites, lead member for environment and planning for Kensington and Chelsea said on the sentencing: 'We support our local businesses, but we also take food safety seriously. 'Our officers work with businesses to ensure high standards are maintained that our residents and visitors expect and deserve.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Carnival sound system banned due to safety fears
A Notting Hill Carnival sound system will not be allowed to operate this year due to "public nuisance and safety concerns" after the applicant failed to turn up to a council licensing committee hearing. Kensington and Chelsea Council issued the Starliner Diamond Sound System and Bar Site with a counter-notice, effectively rejecting its application for a Temporary Event Notice (TEN). The decision was made after the applicant, Noel Gardner, did not attend a licensing meeting on 27 May or provide a risk assessment or event management plan. The system usually plays to festival-goers at the junction of Appleford Road and Bosworth Road. The committee agreed that in the absence of Mr Gardner and the required paperwork, it would refuse the application on the grounds of preventing public nuisance and ensuring public safety. The council's legal officer said a risk assessment and event management plan were essential for the committee to make an informed decision on the TEN. She also said Notting Hill Carnival Ltd was expected to sign off on all TENs for sound systems and associated bars, a new requirement being implemented this year. Met police fear 'mass casualty event' at carnival Carnival sound system banned after bottle attack Notting Hill Carnival is poorly run - Met chief It is the second sound system to be banned ahead of 2025's carnival. Volcano's licence was revoked after a man had a bottle smashed over his head last year. Notting Hill Carnival is Europe's biggest street festival, and is second only to Rio de Janiero's worldwide, attracting well over a million visitors. The event takes place annually in the north of the borough each August Bank Holiday weekend. According to Time Out, Starliner Diamond Sound System has been supplying drum-shaking reggae, soca, afro-beats and funky soul for more than 40 years. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Notting Hill Carnival Kensington and Chelsea council
