Owner of rat-infested restaurant fined

The owner of a Staffordshire curry house that was shut down because of a rat infestation has been fined more than £1,000.

Environmental health officers closed down owner Salam Uddin's Bangladeshi restaurant Hot Rock last March after finding rat droppings and fur in food containers and on preparation areas. Officers also discovered that rodents had been gnawing on food in the kitchen at the restaurant in High Street, Chasetown, which also offered a takeaway service.

Mr Uddin was fined £1,300 for failing to protect Hot Rock from contamination.

Tim Matthews, an environmental health officer at Lichfield District Council, said there was "no doubt" that customers' health had been placed at risk.