Inside the Scarborough hotel with a zero hygiene rating

Victor Robertshaw, the owner of Brentwood Hotel in New Queen Street, pleaded guilty to four offences under the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013.

He was fined a total of £1,500 including criminal court charges, a victim surcharge and costs.

The offences were:

• Failure to ensure that the premises was kept clean

• Failure to ensure that all articles, fittings and equipment with which food comes into contact were kept clean

• Failure to implement a food safety management system

• Placing food on the market that was unsafe

The council brought the case against Mr Robertshaw after an inspection was made earlier this year prompted by a complaint from a member of the public.

The hotel has a food hygiene rating of zero out of a possible five stars, a category classed as “urgent improvement needed”.

The council’s Environmental Health Officer found the standard of cleanliness unacceptable for a commercial kitchen and there was no food safety management system in place.

The floor and underneath the sink unit were in a filthy condition.

The entire cooking range including gas range, grill and the interior of the oven was very dirty with accumulations of carbon, grease, fat and food debris.

The fridges were dirty and heavily contaminated with accumulations of old food and mould. The officer also found containers of mouldy beans in the fridge designated for hotel guests.

Trevor Watson, Scarborough Council director said: “This was a particularly dirty case for our Environmental Health team; the serious offences were a clear breach of food hygiene legislation.

“In particular, having mouldy food on the premises, which is unfit for human consumption, is completely unacceptable.

“High standards of cleanliness and a comprehensive food safety management system are essential for any food business. To protect the public we will always take action against those that do not comply with these requirements.”