A sushi restaurant in Nelson Road has been shut down after repeatedly breaking food hygiene laws.
Itoshii was closed down by the council temporarily last year but after persistently failing to meet basic food safety standards Woolwich Magistrates have ordered the restaurant’s closure and the owners have been banned from running a food business in the UK for 12 months.
Health and safety officers from the council have found a catalogue of hygiene violations in their inspections.
February 23rd 2010 Inspection
- Mouse droppings found in kitchen including the seals of fridge doors and inside a rice steamer
- Extensive mould found on the walls of the walk in chiller and on tube of food inside
- Work surfaces and the floor were “filthy”
- No hand basin in the kitchen for staff to wash their hands
April 20th 2010 Inspection
- Cardboard boxes found which had been chewed by rodents
- Large holes in the walls
- Mouse droppings in serving dishes
- Work surfaces were dirty
June 15th 2010 Inspection
- Dirty food containers were in use
- Owners had ignored council’s advice on food safety
September 21st 2010 Inspection
- Out of date cheese and cheesecakes in the fridge
- Soy sauce bottles contaminated with dead flies
In addition to being banned from running a food business, the owners, Thai Chung Ltd, have been fined £2800 and ordered to pay £2000 legal costs to the council.
Councillor Maureen O Mara, Greenwich Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Community Safety said:
“The Council is pleased that the court recognised the severity of these offenses and imposed an order which protects future customers from serious food safety risks. This case shows that on a number of occasions the Council provided good support to the restaurant to improve their standards. However, our primary objective is to ensure the safety of the public and it was clear that despite our efforts, the restaurant could not get a grip on its important responsibilities… What we will not tolerate are businesses that continue to ignore the advice and put the health of customers at serious risk.”