A takeaway owner, whose business was closed down last October by Slough Borough Council’s environmental health officers, has been issued with a warrant for her arrest.
When Fakhra Shaheen failed to turn up to court twice to hear charges of the heaviest infestations of cockroaches the Slough council had ever seen, the judge decided not to proceed without her and issued the warrant.
Ms Shaheen owned the Kinara Express takeaway in Langley, Slough when it was closed down nine months ago, under emergency powers for the serious and widespread infestation of German cockroaches.
It has not been open since.
The Slough environmental officers had originally attended Bracknell Magistrates Court on October 31 for an Emergency Prohibition Order to keep the takeaway shut until the problem was rectified, with the prosecution to follow.
Levine Whitham, senior environmental health officer for Slough Borough Council, said: “The Kinara takeaway will be re-opened soon under new ownership and the cockroach problem has gone.
“However, if Ms Shaheen does not turn up for the next hearing, the judge will hear her case in her absence. When I went to the takeaway last October, I was astonished by the infestation. In all my experience, I’ve never seen such a heavy infestation of German cockroaches.
“As soon as we inspected the place, we closed it down immediately.”
Commissioner for Slough community and leisure, Cllr Shafiq Chaudhry, added: “Slough Borough Council is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of local people.
“Each restaurant and takeaway has a duty to the public to keep their business clean. I’m extremely glad that the environmental health team were quick to act and shut the place down.”
This is not the first time Kinara has flaunted the environmental health laws.
In 2006, it was fined £13,750 following a prosecution by the Slough council, for eight separate offences including failure to keep premises clean, failure to implement food safety controls and failure to supervise, instruct and train food handlers.
Anyone concerned about the safety standards of food premises in Slough should contact environmental health on 01753 875255 or e-mail foodandsafety@slough.gov.uk.
Slough Borough Council
