A couple have been fined for hygiene failures at the Lepton takeaway they ran last year.
Miles Barker, prosecuting for Kirklees Council , told Leeds Crown Court at the time Zulfiqar Ali and Samina Akhtar were the owners of the New Paradise Indian takeaway in Highgate Lane.
As operators of a food business they were expected to ensure a level of cleanliness and ensure through staff training that legislation was complied with.
He said cleanliness had been a problem when visits were made in earlier years and a hygiene improvement notice had been served on a previous occasion in 2009.
On October 22 last year an environmental health officer visited the premises and found employees were not wearing appropriate clothing, hand washing was being done in the wrong sink, there was no soap, a dirty towel, the food thermometer was not working and there was a significant cleaning problem with dirt and grease of some age.
Major improvements were needed and a hygiene improvement notice was served on both Ali and Akhtar. The premises were revisited on November 11 and although there had been some improvements more was needed.
Mr Barker said because compliance had been poor in the past a decision was taken to prosecute. It was understood she was no longer involved through ill health and their son was now running the business.
Rodney Ferm, for the couple, said it was possible the magistrates had decided to send the case to the Crown Court to give them “a wake-up call” and emphasise the seriousness but he said it was clearly not the worst case of its type.
“For example this business has never been subject to rodent infestation, mouse droppings and the like that you hear in other cases.”
He said it was a modest family business where they had worked hard. “What has been lacking is a consistency of effort,” he added.
Improvements had now been made.
Ali, 61, of Greenhead Road, Huddersfield, was fined a total of £400 and his wife aged 57, of the same address, was fined a total of £260 after they admitted failing to put food and hygiene procedures in place and failure to comply with the improvement notice.
Between them the couple must also pay £1,000 costs.
Judge Neil Clark said there had been difficulties in ensuring compliance in the past and there were repeated warnings.
They must have been aware of the risk of what they were doing but he accepted they had only a limited turnover.
