Another City Food Business Fined
At Andover Magistrates Court on Tuesday 17 July Greene King the owner of Royal Oak Public House, Royal Oak Passage, Winchester, was fined £25,000 plus £6,500 costs. They pleaded guilty to 10 charges for failing to comply with food safety legislation. Also in Court was the then Manager of the Royal Oak, Mr Scott Ryder, who entered no plea and will appear in Crown Court at a later date.
The prosecution by Winchester City Council was taken following a routine inspection of the Royal Oak by Environmental Health Officer, Adam Spencer in October 2006 and again in February 2007. He found several pieces of equipment, work surfaces, floors and walls to be in a very poor state of cleanliness. On the visit in February 2007, the pub voluntarily closed due to a leak from a waste water pipe that discharged into the kitchen.
Cllr Frank Pearson, Portfolio Holder for Environment, Health and Safety said "It is disappointing that we have had to prosecute yet another food business in our City, food business cannot afford to relax their standards when they are providing food to the public especially when they have already received previous warnings."