THE proprietor of The Royal Oak public House on the A32 in Lower Farringdon, has been fined after pleading guilty to seven offences relating to the hygiene of the premises. Joanna Coombs was fined £600 and ordered to pay £100 towards prosecutions costs at Aldershot Magistrates' Court last week. The prosecution was brought after environmental health officers from East Hampshire District Council undertook routine visits in March 2006. The court heard that following a visit on March 9, 2006, Miss Coombs was warned that she faced being prosecuted if she did not carry out a significant amount of cleaning up of the premises. Further visits undertaken on March 10 and 13 showed little improvement. The court was told of a number of offences: there was a rat infestation in a shed being used to store food; a fridge contained some steak which was not fit for human consumption; a dog on the premises had access to the kitchen and food preparation area; fixtures, fittings and some parts of the structure were not kept clean and in good repair; food equipment was dirty and greasy; food waste was not kept in sealable containers, and there was a total failure to put in place a food safety management system. In fining Miss Coombs, the magistrates said that if she'd had the income he would have expected from someone running a pub, the fine would have been well in excess of £10,000. However, her financial situation was poor and they reluctantly had to impose a lower fine. The magistrates told Miss Coombs that these were serious offences because they affect public safety. The number of offences indicated that it was not an isolated incident. Furthermore, the council had tried hard to get Miss Coombs to comply with the legislation affecting food premises. Gill Kneller, head of environmental services at EHDC, praised the council's officers for their hard work and persistence in bringing a successful prosecution. She said: "The magistrates were clearly concerned that public health had been put at risk." The decision to prosecute was taken in accordance with the council's food-safety enforcement policy. Prosecution is restricted to food business operators who blatantly disregard the law, refuse to achieve basic minimum standards and who put the public at serious risk. The Royal Oak declined to comment.
