Swindon Borough Council has shut down a restaurant after they discovered what has been described as the ‘worst cockroach infestation ever seen’.
Baban Restaurant and Takeaway was closed by environmental health officers when they visited the establishment following a tip-off last Thursday (21 April).
At Swindon Magistrates’ Court this morning (28 April), Daryl Bigwood asked the magistrates to approve the hygiene emergency prohibition order.
The order prevents the Manchester Road located restaurant from operating until the cockroach infestation is dealt with.
Mr Bigwood told the court that a long-standing council officer, who has worked in the department for 20 years, labelled it as the “worst infestation I have ever encountered” in an open restaurant.
He said the council visited the property following reports of a rat infestation and excess waste outside the building, but on arrival, they found hundreds of oriental cockroaches in “various stages of their lifecycle”.
The bugs were found to be all over the restaurant, including: in a fridge unit near pre-prepared food, in a chest freezer on top of a packet of meat, inside a sack of lentils and on chairs within the main area.
Most concerningly, approximately 100 dead or dying cockroaches were found on a trolley next to the water boiler.
The operator is said to have admitted he knew about the infestation but did not appoint anyone to deal with it. Mr Bigwood says the operator instead sprayed the bugs with a chemical, which has been seized because the label is not in English and officers are unable to establish whether it is safe for use.
Mr Bigwood also raised concerns about the generally poor standards of hygiene – pointing out that there was no soap at the hand wash basin and raw meat was defrosting in the sink next to dirty plates.
Magistrates granted the hygiene emergency prohibition order.
