KEBAB SHOP WAS INFESTED WITH RATS

Karim Karatas, who ran Barbeque Kebab and Pizza in Sackville Road, pleaded guilty to seven environmental health offences and one health and safety breach at Hastings Magistrates Court on Monday.

Rats were discovered inside the premises by environmental health officers in June following reports vermin had been seen in the vicinity.

Rat droppings were found in the kitchen, in the storage cupboard with the takeaway containers, on the floor of the food servery, behind the freezer, behind the griddle and the roasting spit where food was cooked.

Damage caused by the rats was visible throughout the building - electrical cables had been gnawed, and holes had been made in the walls where the rats passed through to the internal structure of the premises.

A dead rat was removed from the extractor duct casing leading from the kitchen.

Officers found the yard outside so filled with discarded furniture and refuse that it prevented inspection of the rear of the property.

In the kitchen, chicken was being left to marinade at room temperature on a hot day and there was no hand basin for food handlers to use while working.

An emergency closure order was made on the building until environmental health officers were satisfied the rat infestation had been eliminated.

Magistrates said the take-away had posed a risk to the public, as well as staff working at the restaurant. They also congratulated RDC for protecting the safety of residents.

The premises has now been refurbished and rebranded as Express Kebabs. An environmental health officer has inspected recently and found the premises to be clean and free of rats.

Karatas was fined £4,015 and ordered to pay £2,020 costs.

Richard Parker-Harding, head of environmental health for Rother District Council, said: “The infestation of rats within Barbeque Kebab and Pizza posed an imminent risk to the health of customers.

“It is important that owners of food businesses are aware the council takes the matter of public safety very seriously and will close down any business that poses a risk.

“The premises has now been refurbished and we are satisfied it is perfectly safe for people to use.”