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Chennai Dosa, an Indian restaurant and takeaway on New Street, and its director have been sentenced for breaching multiple Hygiene Improvement Notices and repeatedly breaching a Health and Safety Prohibition Notice issued by Chelmsford City Council.

Business and director fined tens of thousands

On 31 October 2025 Indian Eateries UK Limited, the business trading as Chennai Dosa since 2023, and its director, Mr Edward Prabhakaran Isaac, were sentenced for four offences of breaching Hygiene Improvement Notices issued by Environmental Health officers.

The business was sentenced to a fine of £28,125 and ordered to pay £5,625 towards the council's costs of bringing the prosecution. Mr Isaac was ordered to pay £500 in court costs and sentenced to 3 months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, with a requirement to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.

The Court also issued a Hygiene Prohibition Order, which prohibits the use of the premises or its equipment for the purposes of a food business.

The case was heard at Chelmsford Crown Court, following an initial hearing at Chelmsford Magistrates Court on 30 May 2025.

Flagrant disregard for safety standards

October’s case followed another successful prosecution against Chennai Dosa, heard at Chelmsford Magistrates court on 6 February 2025, when the business was fined £27,000 for contravention of a Health and Safety Prohibition Notice and a further £5,400 in court costs.

During sentencing in October, His Honour Judge Mills said Mr Isaac had acted with “flagrant disregard for the law” and was “well aware of the standards required but they were not remedied deliberately, for financial reasons."

Continuous disregard for Food Hygiene standards

Seven Hygiene Improvement Notices were issued to Chennai Dosa following a routine Environmental Health inspection in June 2024. The inspection resulted in a Food Hygiene Rating Scheme score of 0 – urgent improvement is required.

The Notices required improvements be made to various structural non-compliances throughout the restaurant’s food preparation areas, including issues with floors, walls and ceilings, as well as water supply. When council officers attended for a follow up inspection, they found that some improvements had been made but there had been no impactful efforts to make changes required by four of the Hygiene Improvement Notices.

During the sentencing hearing, the Judge commented that “it is no exaggeration to describe [the floor] as being in such a state that it would turn the stomach of anyone who would eat there.” 

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