‘Rotten food’ pub slammed by judge

Filthy food found by health inspectors at the Miller Arms Singleton

Some of the food at the Miller Arms, in Singleton, was up to 19 days past its use by date.

And a judge said it was  only by luck that customers had not been made ill.

Michael Lavery, prosecuting, told Blackpool Magistrates Court that inspections by council officers of the fridges revealed mouldy grated cheese, putrid smelling duck and stinking prawns in slime.

Filthy food discovered by heath inspectors at Miller Arms, Singleton

TK Wood Ltd, the company which runs the Miller Arms – which dubs itself the area’s orginal gastro pub on its website – pleaded guilty to nine charges brought by Fylde Council under Health and Safety, Food Labelling and Food Hygiene regulation.

They had originally been charged with 50 offences but on the basis of their guilty plea to nine offences, the others were dropped.

District Judge Sam Gozee heard how council staff made an inspection visit of the premises in 2013 after new owners failed to register with the council that they were selling food.

An inspection revealed, what the prosecutor said, was “a tired structure with a poor standard of cleanliness.”

In the kitchen, tiles were found cracked, a walk-in fridge was dirty, an electric socket was scorched and a sink blocked.

The company was given a formal notice demanding improvements but another inspection revealed little improvement the court was told.

The firm then agreed to close voluntarily for a deep clean.

Louise Brandon, defending, said: “The directors are keen to point out that no customer or staff member had been made ill by the food.

“The company is in a difficult financial position and has bills like £3,000 a month business rates to pay. It is trading at a monthly loss and improvements have only been done by the directors spending their own money. Everyone has learned a harsh lesson and now their hygiene rating has gone up from two to four.”

Fining the owners a total of £5,500 and ordering them to pay £1,120 costs, the judge said: “There was a wholesale breakdown in food hygiene control. It is more by luck than good judgement that people were not made ill.

“The company was reckless in taking on a business but did not have a system to cope and therefore put the public at risk.”