Pub licensee's £8,000 bill for flouting hygiene rules
Oliver Taggart, of The Malt Shovel in Upper Lambourn, ignored repeated warnings and continued to flout safety precautions, Reading Crown Court heard last Thursday, July 5.
Laura Phillips, prosecuting, said the Crown would accept the 51-year-old father of four’s admission to 14 counts relating to breaches of food safety rules on behalf of the pub and as the managing director of the establishment and that, under the circumstances he would not be taken to trial for a 13 further offences which mostly related to him personally.
She told the court that the pub, popular with stable lads working for racehorse trainers in the area, had been visited by West Berkshire Council environmental health watchdogs on six occasions where food safety regulations were found to have been breached.
On one visit, on June 6 last year, the court heard, the officers found a fruit coulis in the fridge which was unfit for human consumption.
Other items found on visits had been between one and five days out of date, including lasagne, a raw burger and black pudding, the judge was told.
On another visit, in May last year, said Ms Phillips, environmental health officers noted some food items had not been properly labelled and it would be impossible to tell if they were out of date.
She added: "Poisonous food can have serious consequences. The prosecution says there are some aggravating features - the failure to comply has been over five months, six different visits and despite repeated advice being given."
Alan Burbeck, defending, said the pub had suffered in recent years “the people who come to his pub are stableboys from Poland and Ireland and a lot of them are buying their own alcohol."
He added that the kitchens were kept clean, most of the food was only a day out of date, and would have been thrown away as soon as it was spotted.
Mr Burbeck went on: "He's a straightforward man, the legislation is complicated. He generally keeps a clean kitchen."
Judge Steven Wood said: "It may well be that the real responsibility lies at the door of the chef but Mr Taggart has to carry the can for these failings as he is the person responsible."
Mr Taggart, who bought the pub in 2002, was fined £4,900 pounds with £15 victim surcharge and ordered to pay £3,000 costs.