Takeaway owner to serve community order

In January, Pars Pizza Brierley Hill Limited and its director Ameet Kulkarni pleaded guilty to six food hygiene and safety violations and four health and safety offences following an investigation by Dudley Council’s environmental health service.

Food hygiene and safety offences included failing to keep the premises in good repair and clean condition, having food past its use by date, poor hand washing facilities and food not protected against contamination.

Health and safety offences included a lack of guarding to machinery, including a dough roller and a planetary mixer.

At Dudley Magistrates Court on Monday (February 26), Kulkarni confirmed the guilty pleas and that the business had now been dissolved.

In court, the District Judge acknowledged that there had been an early guilty plea and an attempt to improve standards, which resulted in an updated hygiene rating of four for the premises before it was closed.

Kulkarni was served with a 12-month community order for 100 hours as well as ordered to pay a statutory surcharge of £114.00 and full costs of £1686.82 (£1191.82 plus legal costs of £495.00) backed by a 28-day collection order.

The District Judge went on to state that as the company was now dissolved these penalties applied to Kulkarni and there would be no separate penalty for the company.

Councillor Ian Bevan, cabinet member for public health, said:

The work of our environmental health officers is essential to ensure food establishments meet the standards that we as consumers expect.

In this case, the evidence was clear that those standards had been breached, but in his sentencing the judge acknowledged the defendant’s attempts to improve the situation.