Shocking pictures which condemned dirty eaterie

As revealed in yesterday’s Gazette, The Indian Palace on Lytham Road was fined by Blackpool Magistrates after a series of food safety and hygiene breaches.

Lynda Bennett, prosecuting on behalf of Blackpool Council, said the inspection took place after a customer made an allegation of food poisoning caused by chicken pakora given to her as a free snack because the kitchen was so busy there were delays in producing customers’ orders.

Inspectors found dirty and greasy floor covering and dirt around counter areas.

There was no soap or towels at any of the sinks on the premises.

The fridges and freezers had dirty surfaces and there was a hole around a sink pipe.

The prosecutor said: “There was food debris around and a lack of basic cleanliness and hygiene which could lead to cross contamination of food.

“There were concerns that food was being prepared in a dirty environment from which the public needed to be protected.”

The company running the takeaway, Indian Palace Ltd, pleaded guilty to four offences through its director, 27-year-old university trained accountant Yasin Bari.

It was fined £6,000 and must pay £470 costs.

Coun Gillian Campbell, Deputy Leader of Blackpool Council, said: “People who serve food to the public need to be extremely conscious of keeping their kitchens clean – not just from a legal point of view but from a moral one too.

“What our officers found in this particular kitchen was nowhere near the required standard and showed a real disrespect for the customers that the takeaway was serving.

“The hygiene of eateries in Blackpool is generally very good, however if people want to be sure that they are eating food from a clean premises then they should check the company’s food hygiene rating online before they place their order.”

Allan Cobain, defending, said that Bari was the director of the firm involved and had only been running it for 12 months.

He added: “Just before the inspection took place Mr Bari had been in Pakistan for a month to have time with his new wife who is resident in that country.

“After the inspection took place the premises had a thorough deep clean and measures have been put in place to make sure this will not happen again.

“I would like to point out that there is no firm evidence that it was the free chicken pakora made this woman feel ill.”