Revolting, illegal chicken factory ignored order to close immediately

A CHICKEN factory which supplies takeaways and restaurants ignored an order to shut down after health inspectors found filthy conditions.

Inspectors deemed that Boola Halal Limited in Oldham was putting customers at risk, and ordered it to shut having found blocked drains, filthy walls and floors and a disconnected wash basin. However, despite also not having a permit to operate, the firm carried on working. Now, Boola Halal Limited and its owner have been ordered by magistrates to hand over more than £8,700 after the case was taken to court.

Environmental health officers discovered the plant at Thornton House, Crossbank Street, was operating without permission from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in February. During a visit, the officers found there was no washbasin in the cutting room as it had been disconnected, drains were blocked and damaged and the walls and flooring dirty.

According to the Manchester Evening News, walls inside the walk-in chiller were found in a poor state of repair with internal insulation exposed and the refuse area was dirty, with a blocked drain causing water to back up. The company, now trading as Singlemorn UK Limited, was immediately issued with a remedial action notice which required it to stop operating until the FSA granted permission to start again.

At Tameside magistrates' court director Sajjad Hussain, 32, of Ewan Street, Manchester and Boola Halal Limited and Singlemorn UK Limited pleaded guilty to four charges under Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013. They were ordered to pay a total of £8,738 in fines, costs and victim surcharges.