Southsea shop owner has to pay thousands for flaming pigs trotters

Pork trotters on a rusty rack in the yard at Best European Food & Drink, in Albert Road, Southsea, on December 19 last year

His shop Best European Food & Drink in Albert Road, Southsea, was inspected by Portsmouth City Council hygiene inspectors last year.

Such was the risk to the public they immediately slapped him with a emergency prohibition banning him from producing pork trotters.

That was later lifted but the city council then prosecuted the firm.

Ispas, 34, of Tipner Road, Portsmouth, admitted four hygiene charges in October and was fined earlier this month.

Portsmouth magistrates fined him £500 for each charge, plus the council’s costs of £1,886.67 and a victim surcharge of £50.

Opening the case in the first hearing, prosecutor Rob Harding said ‘In essence the equipment was not effectively clean to minimise the risk of contamination.

‘It was a very poor state of cleanliness with metal racks on which trotters were washed and flamed.

He added the racks that were in the yard were ‘rusted’.

Mr Harding said ‘the risk is scary’, adding hygiene cases had a ‘ripple effect’ on other high street food businesses.

Ispas, who had who had earlier represented himself said it was different in ‘my country’ and added: ‘I’m so sorry for that.’

He said he ‘didn’t know I did something wrong’ by selling the pork trotters, mainly to the Romanian community.

Ispas admitted the four charges under the Food Safety and Hygiene Regulations.

They were:

* Metal racks, food preparation boards and food containers were not effectively cleaned as to minimise any risk of contamination.

* Stages of the production and processing of pigs trotters for sale did not protect against contamination rendering food.

* As food business operator did not ensure that food handlers were supervised and instructed and/or trained in food hygiene matters commensurate with their work activity, namely the handling of raw and cooked meats.

* As food business operator had failed to put in place, implement and maintain permanent safety procedures based on HACCP principles in production of pigs trotters for sale.