Blackpool council has used emergency powers to close down a restaurant because it was an immediate risk to public health.



A dead rat was found on the premises as well as a large amount of rat droppings and environmental health officers said the rats were coming straight out of the sewers into the kitchen area.
The Shalimar Gardens restaurant and takeaway on Talbot Road, Blackpool,Lancs has now been closed until further notice after the resort’s council successfully applied for an emergency prohibition order at the town’s magistrates court.
A notice stating the council’s intention to act had been placed in the windows of the Shalimar but had been removed and hidden under a pile of menus the court hearing was told.
The man currently running the Shalimar which cooks,curries,kebabs, pizzas and chicken Mohammed ISHTIAQ of Whalley New Road,Blackburn did not attend the hearing.
Prosecutor Lynda Bennett said :”This place will now not re open until we are satisfied that the risks to the public are removed.”
She said the council had acted after a complaint about the dirty premises was made by a member of the public and added there had been concern about the state of the premises for a number of years.
Council staff found a poor standard of cleanliness with food debris on the floor .She said there was evidence of rodent droppings in the kitchen and cellars and that a dead rat was found.
“We believe there is a serious hygiene problem and an imminent risk to the public.We also have concerns about the way the official notice about the closure was removed.”
“Rodents and in particular rats pose a serious health risk.They had access from the sewers because the lid did not fit and there was gaps at the bottom of doors where pests could get in.”
“Rats can cause illness – even death.They cause salmonella,e coli and TB and their urine can cause Weils Disease.”
She said the premises was been previously made the subject of an emergency notice when they cooked food without a water supply.
Environmental health officer Carolyn Bland gave evidence describing how the sewer manhole cover had gaps around it.
She said:”When we arrived to inspect there was cooking going on despite dirt grease and an accumulation of waste food.”
“There was a point of entry for rats from the sewers and I found a dead rat in the cellar.”
Her colleague Lindsay Miller told the court she had monitored the premises since the inspection of Friday January 13.
One evening she had seen a light on in the kitchen and feared someone may have been cooking online takeaway orders.
However when she entered she found a man cleaning and noticed a piece of broken worktop had been put over the unstable manhole area.
She said the Shalimar had enjoyed an up and down history at one stage getting a four rating.
“But it always seems to slip back again,” she added.
Granting the order magistrates praised the council team for re acting to the problem so quickly.