Louston Dia Velichore, the owner of Kings Flavour, Dock Road, Tilbury, has been fined £3,500 and ordered to pay £1,000 costs after admitting five charges of failing to meet food hygiene regulations.
Last Thursday (February 23rd) Basildon Magistrates’ Court heard the takeaway was closed by Environmental Health Officers in January 2011, after it was found to be infested with cockroaches, the floors and equipment were in a filthy condition and there was no food safety system in place.
Follow up inspections found the situation had improved and the takeaway was permitted to reopen in February 2011. But in June, Thurrock Council received a complaint from a customer who had bought an undercooked chicken burger from Kings Flavour. Once again inspections revealed that food hygiene regulations were not being met. Legal proceedings were started.
The court heard that Mr Dia Velichore, from East Ham, admitted to not being firm enough on staff who were responsible for cleaning the premises. Pleading guilty to all five charges he said that the business had been facing financial problems for the last three years.
