Former pub manager prosecuted for food hygiene offences
At Winchester Crown Court today the former manager of city centre pub The Royal Oak pleaded guilty to failing to comply with food safety legislation.
Mr Scott Ryder, 24, was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay £500 in costs.
The prosecution by Winchester City Council was taken following a routine inspection of the Royal Oak Public House, Royal Oak Passage, Winchester, by Environmental Health Officer Adam Spencer in October 2006.
He found several pieces of equipment, work surfaces, floors and walls to be in a very poor state of cleanliness.
In July 2007 at Andover Magistrates’ Court the owner, Greene King Ltd, was fined £25,000 plus £6,500 costs for 10 counts of food hygiene breaches. Mr Ryder elected to be tried at Crown Court.
Commenting on the successful court case, Cllr Frank Pearson, Portfolio Holder for Environment, Health and Safety, said: “Maintaining and implementing day-to-day food hygiene standards is the responsibility of on-site managers, and the City Council will not hesitate to take enforcement action when hygiene standards jeopardize public health.
"This case should act as a warning that we will pursue all parties involved in food hygiene breaches be they corporate organisations or individual managers."
Last year Winchester City Council launched its own online ‘scores on the doors’ system for food hygiene. Safe2eat allows people to check up on their favourite restaurant or fast-food premises which have all been rated as ‘excellent’, ‘satisfactory’ or ‘unsatisfactory’.
The Royal Oak, Winchester, is currently rated as satisfactory.
For more information go to www.safe2eat.com/winchester.