A Durham Chinese takeaway faced a fine for food safety breaches due to flies and poor hygiene.
Durham council’s health officers inspected Hello 7. A pest control company alerted them first because they saw bad hygiene when tackling flies. The inspection was unannounced.
Officers found flies and dirty areas, including unclean cooking equipment. These issues risked public health. The building needed repairs too. The manager agreed to close Hello 7 until problems were fixed.
Hello 7 reopened after two more checks. The court heard Hello 7 was new, and they fixed problems quickly.
Chen lived on Priory Road, Framwellgate Moor. She admitted guilt early on in the ordeal. She was fined £2,880 for the offenses and must also pay a £1,152 surcharge. Legal costs reached £600.
Ian Harrison works for Durham County Council. He spoke about how all food businesses must keep premises and tools clean because dirty conditions risk public health seriously.
Hello 7 tried to stop the flies. But, because of hygiene, the fly problem caused them to break food safety laws.
This case shows failing hygiene has consequences. Businesses can contact the council for advice because the environmental health team helps them.