Boss guilty of poor hygiene at Leamington restaurant

Amer El Sawi, who ran the Fairuz 2 restaurant in Augusta Place, Leamington, had pleaded guilty to a total of 23 breaches of regulations under the Food Hygiene Act.

But when he was due to be sentenced at Warwick Crown Court, El Sawi, 42, of Lower Ford Street, Coventry, failed to turn up, and prosecutor Andrew Nuttall said: “He’s nowhere to be found.”

So Judge Marten Coates issued a warrant for El Sawi’s arrest – and also imposed a prevention order banning him from working with food and ordered him to pay Warwick District Council’s costs totalling £5,530.

Fifteen of the breaches were found when council hygiene inspectors visited the restaurant on June 22 last year, two more were discovered during a follow-up visit five days later, and a further 15 during an inspection in September. They included failing to ensure the premises were kept clean and maintained in good condition; failing to ensure an adequate number of wash basins were available and suitable; failing to ensure sufficient ventilation; and failing to ensure drainage facilities were adequate. He also failed to ensure that fittings and equipment with which food came into contact were effectively cleaned and, where necessary, disinfected.

And on one occasion the chef was seen to mould raw minced lamb onto skewers and then handle salad without washing his hands, showing El Sawi had not ensured everyone handling food maintained a high degree of personal cleanliness.