OWNERS of an Indian restaurant have been fined £10,200 after inspectors found appalling standards of hygiene.

Chutney Joe, in The Green, Chingford, was routinely inspected by environmental health officers who found filthy conditions with many areas covered in dirt and grease.

Cooked poppadums and onion bhajis were exposed to contamination because they were stored on newspaper and there was no temperature monitoring of food in the fridges.

The floor of the food store had partially collapsed and the storeroom was filthy, the can opener was coated in dirt and dried food and a cutting board was dirty and heavily scored.

The drainage gully in the floor was open, which would enable rodents access to the restaurant from the drains and there were toilets with no ventilation.

Officers who visited the restaurant in November issued a Hygiene Improvement Notice and the prosecution case for food hygiene offences was heard at Waltham Forest Magistrates’ Court last Monday (December 14).

Magistrates ordered Sweet Chutney Ltd and its director Maruf Khan to pay fines of £10,200 and costs of £1,500.

Waltham Forest Council's cabinet member for community safety, enforcement and protection, Cllr Afzal Akram, said: "It is a disgraceful state of affairs when a restaurant cannot keep its own premises clean and safeguard its customers from potential health hazards.

"The fines handed down reflect the seriousness of this case and I hope will act as a deterrent to other restaurateurs who can't be bothered to put on their rubber gloves and keep their kitchens in a suitable condition.”