Chinese restaurant in Leeds city centre fined £5,000 for filthy conditions

THE OWNER of a Chinese restaurant in Leeds city centre has been fined for filthy kitchen conditions.

Lai Hong Cheong, director of OBM on New York Street, pleaded guilty to five food hygiene offences at Leeds Magistrates Court earlier this week.

She was ordered to pay £5,000 after the court heard the restaurant had posed a risk of harm to the public.

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Environmental health officers visited the restaurant in June last year and found dirty and broken equipment, including a tin opener caked with food and dirt, potentially contaminating food.

Risk of contamination also came from dirty surfaces, and staff had nowhere to hygienically dry their hands.

The court also heard the kitchen and premises in general was dirty and in a poor state.

Cheong advised magistrates that the issues had been rectified shortly after the inspection.

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She was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £2,148.91 in costs and a £120 victim surcharge.

Councillor Mark Dobson, executive member for environmental protection and community safety, said: “Whether you’re grabbing a quick lunch or looking forward to catching up with friends over a meal, you expect the people preparing your food to be doing so in a clean, well-managed and maintained kitchen.

“Sadly this isn’t always the case and when standards of cleanliness slip we will take action.

“People shouldn’t forget that they can check what our environmental health officers find through the food hygiene rating scheme.”

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Leeds City Council regulates all food businesses in Leeds and environmental health officers regularly inspect restaurants, takeaways and shops to ensure they comply with strict food safety legislation.

The outcome of these inspections is a rating based on the Food Standard Agency’s national food hygiene rating scheme.

You can check ratings at ratings.food.gov.uk.

Businesses can contact the food safety team at Leeds City Council for advice and residents can report any concerns on 0113 247 6286 or [email protected].