A LYE restaurant has been hit with a hefty court bill after serious hygiene failings were discovered.

Dudley Council’s environmental health officers took the case against Isha’s Indian restaurant in Stourbridge Road following an inspection in October 2017.

The owners, Rajori Garden Ltd, and company director, Ram Lal, aged 50, pleaded guilty to five charges each under food safety and hygiene regulations.

The offences included failing to keep walls and floors plus equipment, including food containers and a microwave, clean and in good repair and condition, storing raw chicken in contact with drinks bottles and failing to implement a food safety management system.

The company was fined £10,800 with £1,478 costs and £170 victim surcharge.

Lal was fined £720 with £1,478 costs and £72 victim surcharge.

The case was heard by Wolverhampton magistrates on March 7 and Dudley Council has confirmed the restaurant has since recently been reinspected and is now achieving a hygiene rating of 3.

Councillor Gaye Partridge, Dudley's cabinet member responsible for health and wellbeing, said: "This council works with businesses to secure compliance with the law, we will not hesitate to take legal action against the minority of food businesses proprietors who do not take our advice on board and who fail to meet their legal responsibilities.

"People need to know that the vast majority of food businesses in the borough are well run and compliant with hygiene and safety rules.

"More than half of all food outlets in the borough are achieving the top hygiene rating of five, with the vast majority achieving a satisfactory rating of three or more.

"I would urge consumers to check out hygiene ratings online as these will give consumers a glimpse of what is going on in the kitchen when they eat out, or behind the scenes at the places they shop.”

Ratings in Dudley can be viewed online at dudley.gov.uk/foodsafety or at food.gov.uk/ratings.