Environment health officer found 4 Star rating sticker in window despite fact restaurant had a 1 Star rating, court told
Stock image (Image: JoeGough/Getty Images)
An award-winning Indian restaurant in Bangor was fined £2,000 on Friday for breaching food hygiene regulations and failing to register as a business.
Newtownards Magistrates Court heard that despite the owners of Shah 113 Ltd being written to, no one had attended the court where the business was charged with two offences. Trading as Bangla restaurant on Main Street in Bangor, the company faced two offences committed in October last year.
Prosecuting counsel Chris Holmes told the court that on 1 October, a senior environment health officer went to inspect the premises and realised the food hygiene rating displayed in the front window was wrong.
He told District Judge Amanda Brady that while the notice in the window stated the restaurant had a four star rating for food hygiene, “in fact the hygiene rating was one star”.
At the time no one was available to talk to the environmental health officer, said Mr Holmes, adding that through her investigations, it transpired that Shah 113, t/a Bangla Restaurant “had failed to register as a business at all”.
Entering guilty pleas to the offences of failing to display a valid food hygiene rating and failing to register as a food business, Judge Brady said she had “no doubt people would have walked into that restaurant” believing the four star rating.
Imposing fines of £1,000 on each charge, she also ordered the business to pay £249 court costs. At the Asian restaurant awards in August 2023, Bangla was named as “Best in Northern Ireland”.
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