A former pub owner has been fined nearly £2,000 for numerous health offences including selling cheese that was 39 days beyond its use-by date. Deri Rogers, the former owner of the Castell-y-Bwch pub in Henllys near Cwmbran, was prosecuted after a health inspection of his premises found "unacceptable risks to public health" last year.
Health officials were alerted to the offences in September 2021 when an initial inspection by Torfaen Council's environmental health team took place after a customer complaint. A reinspection in October later found "numerous unacceptable risks to public health" including Rogers, 35, selling Roquefort cheese that was 39 days beyond its use-by date as well as dirty premises and food exposed to a risk of cross-contamination.
Rogers, of Cwmbran, who no longer runs the pub which has reopened under new ownership, appeared in Cwmbran Magistrates Court on Tuesday, October 27. He pleaded guilty to six charges which were the sale of Roquefort cheese 39 days beyond its use-by date, food exposed to a risk of cross-contamination, failure to implement a hazard control plan, failure to train and supervise food handlers, displaying invalid food hygiene stickers and having dirty premises.
Read more: The Wales restaurants and businesses rated zero for food hygiene
Cllr Mandy Owen, Torfaen Council’s executive member responsible for public protection, said: “Following a complaint from a customer, an initial inspection by environmental health took place in September 2021. The team carried out a re-inspection during October to assess some much-needed improvements and to check compliance with food hygiene legislation. The follow up visit found numerous unacceptable risks to public health which sadly required enforcement action. Our environmental health team play a vital role in protecting the public by ensuring that when we choose to eat out, we can do safely in premises that do not present a risk to our health.”
Rogers was fined £480, reduced to £320 for an early guilty plea, with magistrates considering the sale of the cheese 39 days beyond its use-by date as the most serious offence. The council were awarded full costs of £1597.86 with a further £34 victim surcharge added making the total payable £1951.86.
Read next:
