A Peterborough takeaway boss has been charged with food safety offences after cockroaches were found on food in the eatery.
Council officers made the discovery at Ali’s Fried Chicken (AFC) and Ali’s Balti House, based next to each other in Bourges Boulevard, in October 2013.
The two premises were closed after the discovery.
On Wendesday, 24 September, manager Amjad Ali, of Dogsthorpe Road, Peterborough, appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court where he was charged with 10 offences relating to Ali’s Fried Chicken.
The AFC business was also charged with 10 offences, and the balti house faces four charges.
Both businesses and Ali are charged with failing to have adequate procedures in place to control pests and failing to protect food from contamination.
The court also heard Ali and AFC are charged with failing to keep cooked food above 63C, failing to ensure food handlers wore protective clothing, failing to provide materials for cleaning hands, and failing to keep refrigerator door seals in good working order to ensure the food was kept clear of contamination.
In October last year the Peterborough Telegraph reported how a council officer was showered with dead and live cockroaches when he reached for a food management order placed on a shelf in AFC, while dead cockroaches were found in insect traps under the fridge and freezer.
Meanwhile, at Ali’s Balti House, the officers found cockroaches on pieces of pre-prepared food and in bowls of sauce.
Insect faeces, eggs and nymphs were also found in the fridge, while the creatures were seen crawling up the walls in the kitchen and in space under the fridges.
AFC was ordered to pay £750 court costs, while Ali’s Balti House was given a £650 bill for court costs at last year’s hearing.
Following the court hearing in October, Shazad Ali, owner of Ali’s Balti House hit out at the decision to close the venues, and said: “Both restaurants feel the council has been heavy handed with us. They should have worked with us more closely.
“Once we discovered the problem we set about working to fix it.
“By forcing us to close meant we lost a lot of trade. We will be making a complaint.”