Katy Clifton of Get West London writes a Southall restaurant owner was fined more than £155,000 after council officersfound staff handling food with unwashed hands and cooked food next to a filthy mop bucket.

Chini Chor, in South Road, was taken to court by Ealing Council’s food safety team after the restaurant was found breaking food hygiene laws on two occasions.

The owner, Ravi Kumar Bakshi, pleaded guilty at Ealing Magistrates’ Court on Monday (October 16) and was ordered to pay more than £155,000 in fines and costs of £2,810.

During two inspections, staff were seen handling foods without washed hands and the access to the sink was obstructed by colanders stored on the floor.

Cooked foods were stored next to a mop bucket and foods were placed in dirty cardboard boxes.

Equipment for preparing foods, such as a cheese grater, had build-ups of dirt and were not washed properly, council officers found.

As of Thursday (October 19), the restaurant has a food hygiene rating of one.

Councillor Ranjit Dheer, cabinet member for community services and safety at Ealing Council , said the Southall restaurant showed “no improvement” between the visits.