Gas storage at Lytham wine bar 'could have had disastrous results'

Gas cylinders were left in such an insecure manner they could have toppled over posing a leak risk which prosecutor Julian King said could have had disastrous results.

CCM Bar Company, which owns Capri, based in a Grade Two listed building on Dicconson Terrace, Lytham, pleaded guilty to a total of 11 charges brought by Fylde Council under the Health and Safety and Food Hygiene Act.

The company was fined and ordered to pay costs totalling £19,524 by Blackpool Magistrates.

Sentencing the company bench chair Mrs Jean Adam said: "The gas cylinder offence was by far the most concerning.”

The prosecutor told how council health officers visited the popular outdoor and indoor drinking and eating spot first of all in April 2019.

“They found significant issues at the premises to commence proceedings," said Mr King. "Food debris and dirt was noted. There were no towels in a dispenser and taps were dirty."

He said that in a food dry store area there were open packets and unlabelled containers. There was also dirt.

There was no light in the walk-in fridge and inside, food was unlabelled. In the freezer, food was also without labels and turkey found past its use-by date.

He went onto to describe the possible risk of cross contamination by using a vac pac machine for fresh and cooked foods. There was fat dripping from a food range and a cooker top was cracked.

The kitchen microwave also had food encrusted in it. There were also damaged floor tiles.

In the women's toilets, the hot water supply was poor, the staff toilet area smelled unpleasant and was dirty and one toilet was blocked.

As a result, Capri which sold Dom Perignon champagne at £200 a bottle, was given a zero-star rating.

Improvement notices were served on the owners and two directors interviewed under caution.

A second inspection revealed some work had been carried out but not enough and it was only in June this year that a four- star rating was given to Capri.

Mr King added: "The company fell far short of the standards expected and that was over a significant period of time.

"It was a systematic failure. However there have been no reports of ill health being reported.”

The company’s lawyer Gareth Price said that those improvements had cost £12,000.

He told the court: ”Significant improvements have been made although the directors realise their response was not as quick as it might have been.

"There is now a proper level of concern and daily checking system in place.

“The company continued to trade in difficult circumstances.”

A spokesman for the CCM Bar Company said: “Any and all concerns identified in the initial Envorinmental Health Officer report back in April 2019 were rectified within 24 hours of the inspection.

"We have since introduced a new management team and worked closely with one of the UK’s leading providers of Health & Safety services to implement the necessary processes and training to achieve full compliance, which has been reflected in our most recent score.”

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