Winchester City Council secured a closure order on a local curry house after Environmental Health officers discovered a cockroach infestation in the kitchen.

The hearing at Portsmouth Magistrates Court heard that the infestation at the Veranda restaurant in Wickham could have led to cases of E coli, salmonella and listeria.

During an inspection of the premises, the Council’s officers discovered a mass of cockroaches and their eggs behind the fridges in the restaurant kitchen.

Adam Spencer, Environmental Health officer at Winchester City Council, said: "If this infestation was left untreated, it could have resulted in a serious issue from a health perspective."

The City Council was granted an emergency hygiene prohibition order against the restaurant at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court, meaning that the restaurant would need to close until the owners had dealt with the infestation.

The restaurant has now reopened after the owners took steps to deal with the infestation. The premises will be subject to regular checks by Environmental Health Officers to ensure that the problem has been dealt with properly.