A CWMBRAN takeaway owner has to pay more than £4,000 after pleading guilty to food hygiene offences.

The owner of The Curry Kitchen in Edlogan Square, Croesyceiliog, appeared before Cwmbran magistrates.

The court heard on October 15, senior environmental health officer for Torfaen council, Jason Austin visited the premises and found numerous breaches of food hygiene.

This resulted in the food business operator, Mohammed Adil, closing the premises voluntarily for 48 hours.

Mr Austin found there was no hot water available at the wash hand basin for food handlers to wash their hands, the cleanliness of the kitchen cooking area was poor, and chopping boards were filthy.

Mr Austin also found that cleaning chemicals used for the disinfection of food preparation surfaces had run out four days before the inspection took place.

Also basic food hygiene checks had not been carried out for a number of days.

Adil pleaded guilty to all five charges against him.

They were of failing to implement and maintain a permanent procedure based on the hazard analysis and critical control point principles, failing to keep the premises clean and maintained in good repair and condition, failing to ensure that all articles, fittings and equipment are effectively cleaned, failing to ensure that food handlers were supervised and instructed in food hygiene matters and failing to ensure that all articles, fittings and equipment are kept in a food condition to minimise any risk of contamination.

Adil was fined £3,335, was ordered to pay Torfaen council costs of £790.58, and to pay a £66 victim surcharge.

The Curry Kitchen was awarded the lowest food hygiene rating of zero out of five.

A re-inspection has been requested by Adil.

It is due to be carried out some time in the near future.