A COMPANY director was fined more than £8,000 after unsanitary conditions were discovered at yet another food site in Southall.

Nuh Sheikh, 61, director of Dahab Grocery in Featherstone Road, appeared at Ealing Magistrates’ Court on May 25 where he admitted six charges relating to breaches of food hygiene.

Mr Sheikh was fined £1,000 for each of the offences, and was ordered to pay £2,538 in prosecution costs and a victim surcharge of £15, totalling £8,552.

Ealing Council’s food hygiene inspectors visited Dahab Grocery last November to find the site had been split into a shop, a butcher and a cafe. They found evidence of rat and mouse infestations, outdated cleaning and temperature logs, no evidence of hygiene training for the food handler and filth throughout the entire premises.

Councillor Ranjit Dheer, Ealing Council’s leader for community services and safety, said: “Our food safety laws are in place to protect the health of the public and violating these is a very serious offence. We will continue to do everything in our power to make sure these rules are followed.”

Mr Sheikh had been in business for seven years, with no prior history of infringements. Following a second visit from the inspectors in November, the business’s hygiene and food-handling standards had improved and it was allowed to re-open.

The site is no longer a grocery and has started selling phones and other communications equipment, now trading as Dahab Telecom.

Anyone concerned that a business is breaching food hygiene regulations should email foodsafety@ealing.gov.uk or call 020 8825 6666.