North Yorkshire pub prosecuted for food hygiene offences

The proprietor of a pub in Gristhorpe, near Filey, has been fined £600 for serious breaches of food hygiene regulations.

Following a prosecution by Scarborough Borough Council, Darran Geary, owner of The Bull Inn on Gristhorpe’s Main Street, pleaded guilty to three food hygiene offences atScarborough Magistrates Court on 11 August. In addition to the £600 fine, Mr Geary was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £875 and a £60 victim surcharge; a total of £1,535.

A total of four separate visits were carried out while the pub was open to the public and serving food. Credit: Scarborough Borough Council

The council decided to prosecute the publican after one of its environmental health officers carried out a re-visit at the premises in May to check compliance with legal requirements following a routine unannounced inspection in April, which resulted in the business receiving a score of 1 on the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme.The officer found a number of food items that were either past the manufacturer’s or packer’s use by date, had no indication of shelf life or were unfit with white mould growth on the food. The officer found the kitchen to be in a dirty condition, especially around the cooking and pot washing area and there was no evidence of an effective food safety management system.

A total of four separate visits were carried out while the pub was open to the public and serving food, including the initial inspection. On each occasion a variety of food items were found to be out of date or had no indication of shelf life.

A variety of food items were found to be out of date or had no indication of shelf life. Credit: Scarborough Borough Council