Latest News - Prosecutions

Bina and Abu Essa ran Jesmond Tandoori on Jesmond Road, Jesmond, Newcastle.

When environmental health officers carried out a routine inspection on the premises in March 2024, they found it was filthy.

Every surface in the kitchen was dirty, there was no hand sanitizer, cloths and sponges were filthy, food was stored in grimy containers with no use by dates, yoghurt that was two months out of date had curdled, and food temperature checks were not being monitored. As a result, the premises received a zero rating.

When the owner paid for a second inspection the following month, the premises were still dirty, so the council wrote to them warning them to raise their standards or face action.

Five months later when a third inspection was carried out things were no better.

Staff were unable to wash their hands because a metal bench was obstructing the wash basin. A container of food which had gone mouldy was stored in one fridge and a bucket of rancid smelling liquid and chicken was in another. Food was stored in a haphazard manner without dates and not fully covered, increasing the risk of cross contamination. The council decided to prosecute.

Bina Essa of Railway Terrace, Wallsend, who was listed as the food business operator at the time, and her husband Abu Essa both admitted five Food Safety and Hygiene breaches and were each fined £480 reduced to £320 for guilty pleas. They were also ordered to pay £128 victim surcharge and £85 legal costs making a total of £533 each.

In mitigation, the court heard they were struggling to cope with the business. Staff were not listening to Mrs Essa. Both have now given up the business though Mrs Essa works there as a part-time kitchen assistant for the new owners, the court heard on Friday, October 3.

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