City director ordered to pay more than £14,000 for breaching food hygiene regulations

The director of a city business which had a cockroach infestation, dirty kitchen and poorly trained staff has been ordered to pay more than £14,000 after failing to comply with food hygiene regulations.

City of Wolverhampton Council’s environmental health officers found the active infestation at Calif Bar, based in Stafford Street, during a routine inspection in July last year.

A dirty kitchen and storeroom, poor washing facilities and inadequate training for staff were also discovered during the inspection.

Isi Lucky Idahor, director of Calif Bar (Wolverhampton) Limited, pleaded guilty to six breaches of The Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 for failing to:

• ensure the premises is kept clean and maintained in good repair and condition
• have an adequate number of washbasins available and to provide a washbasin with hot and cold running water and materials for hygienic drying
• protect food against any contamination likely to render the food unfit for human consumption
• have adequate procedures in place to control pests
• ensure that food handlers are supervised and instructed and/or trained in food hygiene matters
• put in place, implement and maintain a permanent procedure or procedures based on the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles

Idahor was fined £1,272 per offence, making a total of £7,632, and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £508. He was also ordered to pay court costs of £6,300 during the hearing at Dudley Magistrates Court on October 4.

Following the inspection, environmental health officers advised Idahor on the actions he needed to take to improve standards. This advice was followed, and officers will be monitoring the premises to ensure standards are kept.

Councillor Craig Collingswood, cabinet member for city environment and climate change at City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “This is an unpleasant case where a city business owner has knowingly put his customers at risk.

“Poor food hygiene can cause significant illnesses and the defendant in this case demonstrated a lack of care and responsibility to the people who trusted him.

“Where food businesses are underperforming, our environmental health officers will step in to take action and advise on measures that need to be taken to improve standards.

“This was the case with Calif Bar and we will continue to monitor the premises to ensure these standards are maintained and to provide assurance to the public.

“We work very hard to protect residents and consumers and I hope other businesses take note of the fact that we take food hygiene very seriously in Wolverhampton.”