JD Wetherspoon pub ordered to stop serving food after cockroaches found in kitchen
JD Wetherspoon, Baxters Court, Hackney has been issued with a court order to stop making and serving food after Hackney Council environmental health officers found cockroaches in the kitchen.
On 12 February, Stratford Magistrates Court issued a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Order, prohibiting the preparation and cooking of food at Baxters Court J D Wetherspoon, 282 Mare Street, London, E8 1HE. JD Wetherspoon was also ordered to pay the Council costs of £865.00.
Hackney Council’s Environmental Health Officers visited the Mare Street pub on 10 February, and a cockroach monitor from behind the fridge in the 1st floor kitchen was found to be full of German cockroaches in different stages of development from the egg, nymph, to adult.
Live cockroaches were also found in other areas of the kitchen including next to uncovered containers of clean cutlery located in the main food preparation and cooking area of the kitchen. The cockroaches posed an imminent risk of food becoming contaminated.
Staff at JD Wetherspoon in Mare Street have shown a disregard for the health of customers. Hackney Council will not tolerate this, and we will take action against any business that puts the health of our residents at risk. The environmental health team also regularly conducts visits to ensure standards of cleanliness and hygiene are met, and they will work with businesses that want to make improvements to their hygiene standards.
German cockroaches are known to carry diseases and organisms including E. coli and Salmonella. The presence of live cockroaches during the day indicates a serious infestation in the kitchen.
There was no evidence noted in the kitchen log book to show what measures had been taken to protect food and food equipment from contamination by the cockroach infestation.
Other cleaning issues included poor cleaning of the plate warmer, and the plates within, poor cleaning at the back of some fridges, and a build up of dust on the walk in fridge and filters.
The premises, which is still open to sell alcohol and other drinks will be closely monitored to ensure that the court order is not breached, and will only be lifted by the Hackney Council if it is satisfied that there is no longer an imminent risk to health. Further visits can be requested by JD Wetherspoon.
Anyone suspecting a business of breaching hygiene standards should contact the Hackney Council’s Environmental Health on 0208 356 4911 or info@hackney.gov.uk