Takeaway owner fined
The copper wire which was found in a takeaway curry
THE owner of a Lancaster takeaway restaurant has been ordered to pay a total of £865 after pleading guilty to serving a chicken curry containing a fragment of copper wire approximately 16mm long.
Idris Jasat, owner of IKY’s Pizza and Balti House of St Leonard Gate, pleaded guilty at Lancaster Magistrates Court on Friday August 6.
Jasat was fined £350, plus costs of £500 and a £15 victim surcharge.
The curry meal was delivered to a customer living in Morecambe on October 27 2009. The customer contacted Lancaster City Council’s Environmental Health Service, who investigated the matter.
The piece of metal came from a make-shift handle from a pizza oven.
Coun David Kerr, Cabinet member with responsibility for environmental health, said: “This was a very serious incident which could have had devastating consequences.
“I hope this case sends a clear message to food businesses that serving contaminated foods is an offence under the food hygiene legislation and that action will be taken if any business is caught breaking the law.”
During 2009-10 the city council’s food safety team visited 692 catering premises, from corner shops to large food manufacturers, and dealt with 89 food complaints and 41 complaints about premises.
Date Published: 09/08/10