South Shields man in court after health inspectors found rats, droppings and grease-covered walls at takeaway he managed

Arash Rezakhani of Gosforth Avenue, South Shields appeared in court on Wednesday over the state of the business he managed in Houghton.

The court heard that Rezakhani was found hiding in a storage room from environmental health inspectors as they discovered his business - Pizza King in Front Street, Chilton Moor – was riddled with rats.

As inspectors raised concerns with a staff member, they were told the business was run by Arash Rezakhani, who was in hospital and they spoken to him on the phone.

As they continued their search, they unscrewed a locked door on a storage area, only to find Rezakhani hiding inside, with dead rats and filthy equipment found in the room.

Checks also discovered droppings beneath food preparation tables, holes allowing vermin access, evidence of gnawing and damaged drinks fridge.

Equipment was covered in grease and food debris, paint was peeling from the walls and food, including raw chicken, was stored incorrectly and in damaged containers, with an unsanitary cloth used to wipe down a counter.

Michelle Irving, representing Sunderland council, told South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court an emergency closure order was placed on the business.

She told the bench: “The walls were dirty and there was an accumulation of grease which had run down the walls, suggesting it had been like that for some time.

"This is a food source for rodents and the officers found smudge marks on the wall, clearly caused by rats’ fur.”

In a later interview, Rezakhani told the council he had been off work for two or three weeks in the time leading up to the inspection and it had been clean up until that point.

A hole was in the roof allowing rain to pour onto the ceiling above the kitchen, while electric cables were held together with tape.

The 45-year-old, a married father-of-four, admitted six counts of failing to comply with EU food safety and hygiene rules.

He also admitted a count of contravening an improvement notice after failing to pass on an electrics certificate within the time limits of the order, with all charges relating to May 29, 2019.

Michael Gibson, mitigating, said Rezakhani’s decision to hide had been “childish” adding the takeaway had been closed for five weeks due to the issues.

After 16 years in the trade, with no previous concerns, he is now on Universal Credit after his brother dissolved the business a fortnight ago.

Mr Gibson said rats had been attracted after oil was poured down a drain by staff from another business, and that he had called Northumbrian Water out to clear it and tried to catch rats himself.

He said: "He bought some traps and some poison and caught one rat and thought that was it.

“He accepts, having pleaded guilty, to issues around the cleanliness of the premises and food safety.”

As the bench fined him a total of £800, ordered him to pay an £80 victim surcharge and £1,700 in costs, he told them: “I’m really ashamed, I’ve never done anything wrong in my life, this is the first time I have been to court.”

‌

You‌ ‌can‌ ‌subscribe‌ ‌to‌ ‌this‌ ‌website‌ ‌and‌ ‌enjoy‌ ‌unlimited‌ ‌access‌ ‌to‌ ‌local‌ ‌news,‌ ‌information‌ ‌and‌ ‌puzzles‌ ‌online.‌

With‌ ‌a‌ ‌digital‌ ‌subscription,‌ ‌you‌ ‌can‌ ‌read‌ ‌more‌ ‌than‌ ‌5‌ ‌articles,‌ ‌see‌ ‌fewer‌ ‌ads,‌ ‌enjoy‌ ‌faster‌ ‌load‌ ‌times,‌ ‌and‌ ‌get‌ ‌access‌ ‌to‌ ‌exclusive‌ ‌newsletters‌ ‌and‌ ‌content.‌

Simply‌ ‌click‌ ‌‘Subscribe’‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌menu.‌ ‌