Restaurant owner fined €18,000

THE OWNER of a Chinese restaurant has been fined €18,000 for multiple breaches of the European Union's food hygiene regulations.

Liu Yu Gang, of The Oriental Chinese Restaurant, Millstreet, Bruff, Co Limerick, was convicted on 12 counts following inspections by a Health Service Executive officer on November 12th, 2007.

Solicitor for the HSE Katherine Kiely told Bruff District Court the charges related to a number of breaches of the regulations, which included frozen chicken fillets found thawing out in a sink full of water, and a chopping-board stored on the floor.

An environmental health officer with the HSE said that when she inspected the premises she found there was no hot water in the kitchen or staff toilets, and no hygienic hand-dryer facilities for staff.

She said there was a build-up of food debris on the fridge and freezer, which were coated in dirt, and that food was stored in dirty containers in the fridge.

The court heard that following a more recent visit by the HSE to the restaurant, only seven of the 46 points raised in her report had been dealt with.

Judge Mary O'Halloran convicted the owner of the restaurant, who was not present in court, on all 12 counts and imposed a €1,500 fine on each charge.

She ordered that Mr Liu pay the HSE's legal fees of €900 and gave him six months to pay the fine.

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times