Thevananthamoorthy Mahendran had already been fined once by Liverpool Council over handling rubbish
Luxmy Foods on Green Lane in Stoneycroft
A Liverpool restaurant boss who failed to pay a fixed penalty notice after rats were seen gathering around dumped waste near his business has been slapped with an even bigger fine. Liverpool Council officers inspected Luxmy Foods on Green Lane, Stoneycroft, in August last year.
According to documentation seen by the ECHO, issues arose with poor waste storage outside the Sri Lankan restaurant and takeaway serving Indian cuisine. This led to officials from the city council demanding proof rubbish was being taken away properly from the business.
After being slapped with a £300 fixed penalty notice, Thevananthamoorthy Mahendran, who is listed as a director at the business, found himself in court after a failure to pay. Last month, magistrates doubled the amount he owed after his inability to comply.
An email seen by the ECHO revealed how Mahendran was issued with a legal notice by Liverpool Council environmental health enforcement officials requesting all his trade waste contracts and receipts to show that his waste was being collected legally.
A general view of Green Lane, Stoneycroft. Image taken from Google Maps.
After he did not provide the documents, he was hit with a fine worth hundreds of pounds.
Such was the amount and state of the waste being left outside the business, rats began to be spotted getting into it. Having then chosen not to pay the penalty issued by the city council, Mahendran was taken to court, where he appeared on January 15.
After entering a guilty plea, the restaurant director was ordered to pay the fine of £300, victim surcharge of £120 and costs of £200.
Cllr Steve Radford, who represents the Tuebrook Stoneycroft ward, said he was “delighted” the council had taken “robust action” in this case.
Liverpool Liberal councillor Steve Radford
All reported incidents of illegal waste dumping are investigated by Liverpool Council and, where an offender can be identified, further action will be taken. Once this investigation has taken place, rubbish will be removed.
In a previous statement, a city council spokesperson said: “There is no excuse for fly-tipping.
“Anyone who spots illegally dumped waste, or who has witnessed an instance of fly-tipping, can report it on the council website.”
On Luxmy Foods’ website, it said how the business loves “to treat our customers with an exquisite dining experience, with speedy preparation and cooking, so you do not have to sit and wait for your food.”