Curry house fined for bad hygiene

A leading Indian restaurant based in Manchester has been fined £30,000 for breaching food hygiene standards.

Inspectors visited Shere Khan in the Trafford Centre after a complaint from a member of the public about dirty conditions and a lack of hot water.

The restaurant admitted five hygiene offences before Trafford magistrates and was ordered to pay £1,176 costs.

It said the manager, assistant manager and head chef had all been replaced since the inspection in March 2005.

Trafford Council said its environmental health officers found the restaurant in serious breach of food hygiene standards during their inspection.

As a result, the restaurant closed down voluntarily until the situation had been resolved.

Staff training

"It is the council's duty to make sure food businesses comply with the law, for the health and wellbeing of people in Trafford," said Executive Councillor June Reilly.

"Clearly the magistrates took this case seriously by imposing a sentence that reflected the seriousness of the offences."

Shere Khan said it took the welfare of its customers extremely seriously and had undertaken a £100,000 refurbishment since the inspection.

All of its new and existing staff were receiving ongoing training on health and safety and food hygiene issues, it said in a statement.