York Shambles fish dealer banned from food industry after five years of poor hygiene

Trevor Douglas, of Whitby Seafish, located at the Shambles Market, was handed a hygiene prohibition order - the first to be served by the council in 10 years - after inspectors repeatedly found him storing fish at high temperatures, cross-contaminating raw and cooked seafood and failing to disinfect food equipment properly.

City of York Council environmental health officers carried out five food safety inspections at the premises between 2013 and 2018. During this period, the business failed to achieve a food hygiene rating higher than and was broadly non-compliant with food safety regulations for five years.

Inspectors visited the business on November 6, 2018 and discovered fish being stored at high temperatures, a lack of adequate hand washing facilities, inadequate disinfection of food equipment and cross contamination risks between raw and ready to eat seafood - this was despite Douglas previously being told to make necessary improvements.

Douglas had previously been advised to cease selling ready to eat foods due to the risk of cross contamination however was still found to be selling both products at the time of the visit.

In January last year, Douglas signed an agreement with the council stating he would not sell ready to eat foods, but was found selling cooked crabs at his stall in July and August.

Douglas, 63, of St Peter's Court, Whitby appeared at York Magistrates Court this week and pleaded guilty to four food safety charges.

Councillor Andrew Waller, Executive Member for Economy and Strategic Planning, said: “This is the first time in around 10 years that a hygiene prohibition order has been served following council action, which shows the seriousness of the poor hygiene seen here.

"York is home to a variety of food establishments and we will continue to ensure that standards are met and that customers are confident in the quality of the food they are being served."