A Southall branch of Pizza Hut Delivery was closed for a week by Ealing Council food hygiene inspectors for cockroach infestation.

The takeaway at 66 South Road, Southall, was inspected on 14 October 2014 after a customer contacted Ealing’s food safety team. They were issued with an emergency prohibition notice to close immediately when the inspection team discovered live cockroaches scurrying through the kitchen. The business re-opened six days later after inspectors re-visited and were satisfied it was now safe.

Atifa Wasim Enterprises Limited, which operates the South Road Pizza Hut Delivery, was forced to pay more than £890 in legal costs after a hearing at Ealing Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 6 November 2014 verified the council’s decision to close the business temporarily.

In a separate case, the operators of supermarket Quality Foods, LB Enterprises Limited, at 47-61 South Road, Southall had 16.2 kilograms of hazardous sweets seized.

The business was ordered to pay the council’s legal fees of £604.04 after some imported jelly sweets called Pran Pudding were found to contain a banned jelling agent which can pose a choking hazard. In this case, the sweets were supposed to turn to liquid in one bite but instead remained solid.

Court action was taken against another food businesses during the same session. Moti Mahal, at 94 The Broadway, Southall were ordered to pay the council’s legal costs following temporary closures.

Essence Restaurants Limited, Moti Mahal’s operators were ordered to pay £600.72 council legal fees for a mouse infestation. The restaurant was also closed between 7 and 10 October to deal with the infestation.

Ealing’s deputy leader and cabinet member for community services and safety, Councillor Ranjit Dheer said: "Food safety officers have to be so vigilant these days not just to poor hygiene standards; they also need to be alert to the ingredients present in food to make sure that potentially harmful additives don’t slip through the net."

"In the case of Quality Foods, whose products contained banned jelling agents, it’s just sheer luck that nobody choked as a result of eating the sweets."