Surrey fish and chip shop fined £5000 for failing to deal with 'excessive smell'

A fish and chip shop in Surrey has been fined £5000 for failing to deal with the 'excessive smell' which has affected people living and working in the area.

Waverley Borough Council say they were working alongside Oceans 11 in Farnham to resolve the problem, but they failed to make an improvement and the smell affected residents and businesses for several years.

In April 2022, the owner of the eatery was prosecuted in court, followed by a further prosecution in January this year for the continuing issue.

Councillor Andy MacLeod, Waverley Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Operational and Enforcement Services, said: “Our officers work extremely hard to try and resolve issues with business owners before resorting to prosecution but, in this case, there was no improvement and, as a council, we have to consider how the rest of the community is affected.

“I hope that this action will help those living and working in the area and serve as a reminder to food business owners that they must consider their neighbours as the council will not hesitate to prosecute people and businesses who are causing a similar nuisance.”

The fish and chip shop changed hands at the end of last year and the council says it's working with the new owner to upgrade the kitchen extraction system which is expected to resolve the issue.