A restaurant director has been ordered to pay £8,653 after admitting to five food and hygiene offences.

Ishmail Koca, the director of Kosk Restaurant Ltd, in Edmonton, failed to improve hygiene standards after an Enfield Council food inspector visited the premises in 2016.

Hygiene improvement notices to deal with dangers of cross-contamination and poor food safety management were served, and training for food handlers ordered.

Food inspector revisits in 2016 and 2017 found no improvement in food safety management.

During a routine inspection in August 2018 an unsafe mincer was also found at the restaurant.

At sentencing on January 18 a total in fines, costs and victim surcharges of £8,653 was levied, including a £5,000 fine, £1,500 costs and £120 victim surcharge for the food business operator Kosk Restaurant Ltd, totalling £6,620; and, £500 fine, £1,500 costs and £33 victim surcharge for the director of the Ltd Company, Ismail Koca, totalling £2,033.

Cllr Daniel Anderson, Enfield Council’s cabinet member for environment, said: “Enfield Council will not tolerate businesses who cannot or will not comply with the law.

“We take a very dim view of premises which fail to adhere to safe food standards and that endanger the health off our residents and seek to undermine our strong communities.

“Our food safety inspectors always provide advice as to how restaurants can improve their food handling, hygiene standards and training.

“In this case, their advice was ignored, and for that, the restaurant and its director have rightly paid a heavy penalty.”

Food hygiene ratings of restaurants, cafés or businesses that handle food can be found at the Food Standards Agency’s webpage www.ratings.food.gov.uk.

Information on food safety and hygiene is available on Enfield Council’s website at https://new.enfield.gov.uk/services/health/food-and-health-and-safety-at-work/food/.