A tandoori restaurant in Harlington has been fined a total of £22,498.75 after a Hillingdon Council investigation uncovered a serious cockroach infestation, despite a previous conviction for similar hygiene offences.
Harlington Tandoori, operating under Heathrow Tandoori Limited, and its manager, Joshua Money, appeared in Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court last Tuesday (28 January). Money admitted to seven offences for failing to comply with food safety and hygiene regulations.
Council food hygiene officers conducted an unannounced inspection on 28 September 2023 following a complaint from a customer who reported seeing a cockroach crawl across their table.
Upon investigation, officers found hundreds of cockroaches throughout the restaurant, including in the bar, main kitchen, and external stockroom. Additionally, they discovered dirty cooking equipment and unlabelled prepared food. Due to the severity of the infestation, Money agreed to close the restaurant immediately.
Although a specialist contractor was hired to address the infestation, and the restaurant was given clearance to reopen on 24 October 2023, subsequent inspections revealed further hygiene violations. This led to two hygiene improvement notices being served at the premises on 13 December 2023.
A follow-up inspection on 20 February 2024 showed that while there had been some improvements, there were still failings.
As a result of these breaches, Joshua Money was fined £512 and ordered to pay a £205 victim surcharge and the council’s prosecution costs of £1,890, totalling £2,607.
He was also handed a hygiene prohibition order, preventing him from participating in the management of a food business for 18 months.
Heathrow Tandoori Limited, was also fined £16,000 and ordered to pay a £2,000 victim surcharge and costs of £1,891.75, totalling £19,891.75.
This is not the first time the business has faced legal action for food hygiene offences. In November 2018, it was fined £4,933 for similar failures to prevent pest infestations, including rats and cockroaches, and for not maintaining clean premises and hygiene standards.
Cllr Eddie Lavery, Hillingdon Council’s Cabinet Member for Community and Environment said: “This is a shocking case, where despite a previous conviction and multiple improvement notices, this restaurant consistently failed to uphold basic standards of cleanliness, putting residents’ health and safety at a high risk, and as a consequence they must now pay the price for their actions.
“I hope it serves as a strong warning to other businesses that neglecting food hygiene and training will not be tolerated.”
