Mice droppings found at Sparkhill takeaway
THE owner of a filthy Birmingham takeaway pizza outlet found to be “riddled” with mice droppings has been given a suspended prison sentence and banned from running a food business.
East Pizza, in Smallbrook Queensway, run by Sharar Abdolahi, was so dirty it was closed down three times, Birmingham Crown Court heard.
Environmental health officers from Birmingham City Council saw mice running in and out of the premises eating chips and running up and down the kebab rotisserie.
Barry Berlin, prosecuting, said that environmental health officers found both dead and live mice, as well as mouse droppings, next to cooking equipment, food and on pizza boxes when they visited on January 7, 2008.
Mr Berlin said there was also holes and gaps where mice could get in.
And officers found an infestation of maggots and beetle larvae behind a fridge. There had also been a build-up of grease and food debris while there was an “appalling smell” coming from a storage tank.
Mr Berlin told the court: “Despite on one occasion a mouse actually running past when an officer was present he was denying there was a problem with mice in his business.”
Mr Berlin said after the second closure Abdolahi had contacted a pest control company.
But on March 20 officers again returned after receiving a complaint. He said they discovered the takeaway to be almost in the identical state it had been before and there was a live mouse stuck to the floor behind the freezer.
Abdolahi, 31, who had previously admitted 12 breaches of food hygiene regulations, was sentenced to 36 weeks imprisonment, suspended for two years.
Recorder Paul Farrer QC also ordered him to do 200 hours’ unpaid work, pay £750 costs and banned him from running a food business.
The Judge told Abdolahi “between January and March 2008 you were running the business when there were sustained serious breaches of the most basic of food hygiene standards. You were plainly well aware of the problem. Not only was it staring you in the face but also you had made homemade mousetraps to try and tackle at least some of the difficulties.
“You undoubtedly, for a sustained period of time, placed the health and wellbeing of your customers at risk. In effect you were warned by successive prohibition notices. It is perfectly plain you did sufficient to get the premises open again and then immediately lapsed into your previous habits.”