Tons of flies and overflowing bins were found by food hygiene teams during a damning inspection of a Leicestershire restaurant.
Phatbuns, in Ashby Square, Loughborough, was given a score of one out of five – the second lowest possible – by Charnwood Borough Council (CBC) inspectors following a routine visit on July 17.
Inspectors made a number of worrying findings, including an “abundance of flies” and bins overflowing outside, leading inspectors to say that major improvement was necessary.
The report, obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), found that bins couldn’t be closed due to how full they were, while bags full of rubbish were stored on the ground.
The bin bags were “heavily contaminated with flies,” with inspectors saying they were creating a “significant risk of food contamination” and doors to a courtyard area were left open with flies being seen entering the kitchen.
The rubbish was also made worse by the then heatwave, with inspectors saying it was “exacerbating odours and attracting flies” and had “the potential to attract additional pests”.
Inspectors ordered restaurant bosses to remove all waste and warned that further enforcement action could follow.
The problems didn’t end there, however, as electric fly killers were found to be “heavily contaminated with dead flies” and were not being adequately maintained.
Bags of raw meat were also found stored on the kitchen floor on pieces of cardboard while being sorted, with damaged or illegible labels, making use-by dates impossible to determine.
Inspectors also said they found “odours consistent with meat that may have exceeded its shelf life” on raw meat stored under a counter refrigerator during the visit.
Bags of frozen meat were also found stored without labels, use-by dates or traceability information in the restaurant’s walk-in freezer, with the report stating that staff were unable to provide it when requested.
Staff were also found to be storing items on a staircase, which inspectors say was a breach of health and safety legislation and had been raised during previous inspections.
The report also highlighted a “recurring issue” around effective supervision at the restaurant, with staff working without any manager or supervisor present, and there was no responsible person on site to oversee operations, monitor food safety, and ensure compliance.
Understanding of food safety was also said to be “inadequate”, according to inspectors, particularly regarding cross-contamination, after ice cream was found stored next to raw eggs and raw meat products in a chiller.
The LDRS approached Phatbuns for comment, but did not get a response in time for publication.
