In March 2019, a public protection officer from Pembrokeshire County Council visited JT3 Restaurant in Fishguard.

The officer found the basement kitchen to be in a poor state of cleanliness and repair. There were no disinfecting cleaning products or soap available as well as an inadequate water supply. Flies were present. There was also no evidence of any food safety management system being used. The officer issued a Food Hygiene Rating of 0.

Officers revisited the premises to check that improvements had been made. The business had failed to display their food hygiene sticker. The officers issued the business with a warning and supplied it with a new sticker. Further visits saw the sticker being hidden behind doors and behind an umbrella hanging from a hook above it. The officers issued a fixed penalty fine that was not paid. 

On 13 December 2019, officers arrived at the business to be told that it was closed. However, upon entering the kitchen, they found that food preparation was still continuing and that the conditions had deteriorated once more. The officers issued the business with a Food Hygiene Rating of 0 again. 

On 19 December 2019, two visits were made to the premises. The officers served a Remedial Action Notice to prevent the manufacture of chicken liver parfait and duck and issued Improvement Notices to address the level of training and to ensure food safety procedures were introduced and maintained. The business failed to comply with these and the Food Hygiene Rating sticker remained hidden. 

On 3 July 2020, the owners of the restaurant along with their company Me‘n’u1 Ltd, pleaded guilty to all offences charged. They were fined £10,700 and ordered to pay £4,571.11 in costs to the county council and a victim surcharge of £240. One of the owners was also banned from operating a food business.

Following the case, a Council spokesman said “Despite the best efforts of our officers to move this business towards compliance, the food business operator continued to flout food safety regulations and mislead customers about his food hygiene rating. The decision of the court to prohibit him from running a food business and the level of fine reflect the seriousness of this case.”

If you or your business are faced with an investigation or prosecution for breaching food safety or food hygiene regulations, call our specialist Regulatory Partner, James Lowe, on 07833 240400 for advice and assistance.