TWO businessmen who illegally sold meat to wholesalers across the country from a filthy North-East factory have been ordered to pay £100,000 by a court.

Masoud Chinikar and Mahmood Arta, owners of the Meat Zone factory in Middlesbrough, were prosecuted after an investigation involving officers from Middlesbrough, Bolton, Hull and Kirklees.

Teesside Crown Court heard how food safety officers inspecting the factory, in Startforth Road, in October 2003, found work surfaces and walls badly maintained and in such a dirty condition that they were uncleanable.

Further investigations revealed that the factory did not have the proper approval and should not have been used for manufacturing kebabs for wholesale distribution.

The court was told that during the investigation Chinikar and Arta were aggressive and obstructive and would not allow access to business files.

They were fined £18,200 each with costs of £13,094 for flouting food safety laws. In addition they both received a confiscation order of £25,000

Judge Peter Armstrong told the pair: "Despite the unhealthy state of the premises, it might be more by good luck than management that no one has been physically injured by what you were doing."

The court heard the men, both of The Sands, Ferens Park, Durham, had moved to a new factory in Stockton, which employed 22 people, and complied with regulations.

After the case, Middlesbrough Council's executive member for community safety and leisure, Councillor Barry Coppinger, said: "Middlesbrough's food safety officers uncovered a quite scandalous state of affairs - a company operating without regard for food hygiene or fair trading rules.

"Their work sparked off a wide-reaching investigation which brought this business to book and has helped restore a level playing field for businesses and the safety and confidence of consumers."

Simon Catterall, a solicitor acting for the two men, said: "The company was simply overtaken by regulations."