Curry house chef prepped food after wiping bottom with his hands - he doesn't use toilet paper for 'cultural reasons'

A curry house chef prepared food after wiping his bottom with his hands - because he doesn't use toilet paper for 'cultural reasons', a court heard.

Mahbub Chowdhury, 46, had an empty bottle in his kitchen which inspectors discovered was covered in fecal matter.

He said he filled the bottle with water from the kitchen taps and used it to clean his bottom after visiting the toilet - and did not use loo paper for cultural reasons.

Chowdhury then prepared dishes including meat and fish curries at his Yeahya Flavour of Asia in Swindon.

He pleaded guilty to ten allegations of breaching food and hygiene regulations at Swindon Magistrates Court and will be sentenced later.

Prosecuting Rosie Heath said health officers visited his business on May 5 last year and found "very poor standards of hygiene".

She said: "In the kitchen under the double sinks [they] found an empty plastic milk bottle which was extremely dirty and was covered with brown fingerprints.

"When asked, Mr Chowdhury explained he filled the bottle with water from the kitchen taps and used it to clean his bottom after visiting the toilet.

"He did not use toilet paper for cultural reasons. Inspectors concluded the brown finger prints was fecal matter."

Defending Mark Glendenning said his client no longer operates the business. He also said the milk bottle was never assessed and the marks could have been spices.