FOOD hygiene offences are leading to the closure of at least three businesses in Southall every month.

Over the past year Ealing Council has shut down 39 sites and served 79 legal notices – an average of about six each month – with fines and costs in the region of £100,000.

Inspectors have uncovered revolting conditions in cafes, restaurants and food production sites across the area. Ten food hygiene cases have been prosecuted in the courts since 2010. Half of all closures and enforcement actions are in Southall town centre, with the rest spread across surrounding industrial estates.

One of the more prominent cases was in October, when the council helped secure a lifetime ban on Mohammed Wais after its team paid a visit to The Green Restaurant, in The Green.

Inspectors discovered fridges not working and no hot water for staff to wash their hands along with a severe infestation of cockroaches and mice droppings all over the shelving and inside the fridges.

Mr Wais was banned for life from opening another restaurant in Ealing.

In August, food manufacturer Quality Foods were forced to cough up £16,000 after an investigation by Ealing Council officers uncovered glass in one of its samosas.

Dalawar Chaudhry, who runs Chaudhry’s TKC, one of Southall’s longest-running restaurants, said: “We always try to stay one step ahead of the game, but running a restaurant is a very tough industry to be in nowadays and there is so much bureaucracy.

“You have to monitor and document everything and many people do not understand the complexities.

“If you went up to someone running a food stall and ask them what the optimum serving temperature for rice is, the chances are they would not know. Some people do not know the first thing about food hygiene.”

Councillor Ranjit Dheer, leader for community services and safety at Ealing, said: “Any business wishing to produce or sell food has a legal responsibility to register with the council and follow all food hygiene legislation.

“The council carries out rigorous inspections of all food businesses in the borough and there is no place for any business that does not stick to the law.

“Businesses selling food from dirty premises can make people seriously ill and put lives at risk. We will not tolerate this. We will take action.”