Banbury kebab shop fined over £55,000 for environmental and food hygiene offences

Spicy Kebabish Ltd and its owner, Adam Ahmed, pleaded guilty to the offences related to waste disposal, food handling, and failing to provide a waste transfer note at its Broad Street shop.

At a hearing at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Monday August 7, the defendant pleaded guilty to six offences in his capacity as owner of the business and to three further charges brought against him personally.

The business was ordered to pay a total of £33,490 in fines, costs, and a victim surcharge, and Mr Ahmed was personally ordered to pay a further £21,685 by the magistrate.

Cllr Phil Chapman, portfolio holder for healthy and safe communities, said: "For many people, being able to go out for a meal or order from the large number of excellent food establishments we have across north Oxfordshire is a greatly anticipated treat. Local residents and visitors expect these venues to meet high standards for safety, cleanliness, and hygiene, and the vast majority of them do.

"The officers within our regulatory services team at Cherwell District Council work tirelessly to ensure that these establishments are meeting their legal obligations, and in this instance, we encountered a situation where standards were not adhered to. Waste was not being contained and disposed of correctly, and the business was failing to train food handlers and protect against contamination, which led to the council taking further action."

The charges were filed against Spicy Kebabish in 2022 following a series of food hygiene inspections that identified a number of issues, including inadequate drainage facilities and the owner's failure to follow improvement notices relating to waste disposal and implementing a food safety management system. Over £18,000 pf the fine to Spicy Kebabish Ltd was for failing to safely store waste on site and also failing to provide waste transfer notes confirming their waste had been legally disposed of by an authorised contractor.

The council routinely inspects local food outlets to check how hygienically the food is handled, the condition of the structure of the buildings, and how the business manages and records what it does to make sure food is safe.