A guilty plea by Ian Watkins of Cottage Loaf Bakery & Restaurant, Station Road, Hopton, saw Great Yarmouth Magistrates Court impose a fine of £9,000 with £948 costs in relation to conditions at his premises described as filthy and unhygienic.

The nine charges heard on Friday May 23 were brought under the Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006, were the result of a routine inspection carried out by Environmental Health Officers in January.

“When I carried out the inspection I found that the premises had not been effectively cleaned for a substantial period of time,” said Commercial Team Manager, Kate Watts.

“I also discovered out-of-date food, and there was evidence of mice activity in the outside flour storage shed and no hand washing facilities were available to inspectors. The place was just filthy and totally unhygienic.”

The case follows a series of previous problems at the business, beginning in May 2006 when Norwich City Council prosecuted the Cottage Loaf for selling food contaminated with a foreign body, namely a piece of blue material.

In addition, the owner has been served with various hygiene improvement notices and have accepted formal cautions relating to food hygiene offences. Due to the continued poor compliance history of the premises, environmental health felt they had no option other than to proceed with a prosecution.  

“I am pleased with the outcome of this case,” continued Kate. “The size of the fine shows that we and the court take this kind of offence very seriously.

“Despite a large amount of support and guidance given by Environmental Health this business continued not to comply with food safety legislation, giving this department no other option but to prosecute. We will continue to effectively deal with persistent offenders in a robust manner to ensure public safety.”

For further information please contact Kate Watts, Commercial Team Manager, on 01493 846547.