THE owner of a Ribble Valley takeaway has been fined more than £1,500 for contravening food safety regulations.

Blackburn magistrates found Sadaqat Ali, who operates Sultan's Fast Food Delivery in Whalley Road, Clitheroe, guilty of the offences under the Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995.

The prosecution was brought by Ribble Valley Borough Council after an inspection of Sultan's in July 2001, following a warning by the council's senior environmental health officer Eamonn Roberts that standards of hygiene at the premises must be improved.

The offences which contravened regulations included failing to keep the premises clean and maintained in good repair, failing to ensure that equipment and fittings were kept clean, failing to keep the facilities for washing food clean, failing to store food in such a way as to prevent contamination, including by pests, failing to store raw materials and ingredients in appropriate conditions and failing to ensure that wall surfaces were maintained to make them easy to clean and disinfect.

Ali was fined £250 for each offence with exception of the offence relating to the conditions of kitchen wall surfaces following the production of photographs by his solicitor David Rogers, which showed improvements made to the premises since last July.

In addition to the total fines of £1,500 Ali was ordered to pay £175 costs.

A spokesman for Ribble Valley Borough Council said officers were pleased with the outcome of the case.