FILTHY conditions inside a takeaway have been revealed following a routine inspection that uncovered dirty equipment and food at risk of contamination.

The manager of Darlington’s Star Pizza, off Victoria Road, has since resigned his role and been ordered to pay a £2,000 fine over four serious food hygiene breaches at the takeaway premises.

Mariwan Ahmad pleaded guilty to the offences in Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court this week after inspectors found that produce was being kept in a basement not properly protected from pests.

The court were shown pictures taken inside the shop earlier this year, depicting grime-ridden floors and walls and parts of the takeaway that had not been cleaned for months.

Stephen Andrews, mitigating for Ahmad, said his client had been out of the country at the time of the inspection in March and had left a colleague to manage the takeaway in his absence.

He said: “He tells me that at the time of the offences, he was the director of Star Pizza Limited and he had operated from this premises on Victoria Road for a significant period of time and he’s never previously had any issues with Darlington Borough Council.

“In previous years, the operation has been given a five star food hygiene rating, but things have gone downhill very rapidly in his absence.

“He’s originally from Iraq and he’s been out there for a number of months trying to get arrangements in place to move his wife across to the UK in entirely proper and legal means.

“He thought he’d employed someone to act as a general manager in his absence.”

A routine inspection was carried out on March 27 at Star Pizza, with environmental health officers noting, “the premises and equipment were dirty, food was at risk of contamination because raw food was being stored in the same containers as ready to eat items, and delivery staff were not suitably dressed to be in the kitchen”.

No marked improvement was found during a return visit two days later, although the premises were cleaner during a further visit at the end of May.

Ahmad was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £562 in costs and £120 victim surcharge.

Councillor Chris McEwan, deputy leader of Darlington Borough Council, attended the inspection of Star Pizza as an observer.

He said: “Although the vast majority of catering premises in Darlington comply with food hygiene regulations, the owner of this business had failed to maintain standards.

“This case sends a message to food business owners in Darlington that there will be consequences if they choose to cut corners when it comes to the important issue of hygiene.

“It’s another great example of the council working hard to keep the public safe, and I would like to thank our food enforcement officers for their efforts.”