Risca food business ordered to pay £1,000 over lack of hot water

A Risca business operator has been ordered to pay £1,000 over the lack of hot water at its food premises.

Farah Naz, the food business operator of Phone Exchange, on Commercial Street in Risca, was prosecuted by Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Environmental Health Officers following a notification that the water supply at the premises had been disconnected.

Water was available at the premises, but no hot water was avilable for cleaning.

Over a period of three months several visits were made, resulting in 16 offences being committed.

The case was heard at Caerphilly Magistrates’ Court on May 16.

Naz pleaded guilty to the offences and was ordered to pay a £600 fine for the initial offence. No separate penalty was allocated for the remaining offences.

She was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £400 in addition to a £60 victim surcharge.

The offences were contrary to the Food Hygiene (Wales) Regulations 2006 and related to ‘a failure to comply with a Hygiene Improvement Notice and failure to provide a hot water supply to the sink at the food business’.

Cllr David Poole, Cabinet Member for Community and Leisure Services, said: “Our team of officers work tirelessly to promote the importance of food businesses complying with food hygiene and associated legislation, but if businesses choose to ignore our advice and do not take appropriate steps to protect the safety of their customers, we will not hesitate to take formal action through the courts, as we have done in this particular case.”