Midlothian restaurant slammed by health inspectors after large rat infestation found

The popular Memories of India restaurant was found to have food containers and shelving covered in rodent droppings and urine when environmental health officials inspected the premises last year.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told staff had claimed the “rats are everywhere” and an examination found there were 33 burrows in the grounds of the restaurant in Midlothian.

The court heard the inspectors found “gnaw marks on the frame of the back door” and black bags holding food stuffs within the kitchen had “teeth marks”.

Company director Nasir Uddin, 50, was slammed by a sheriff who described the conditions as “absolutely disgusting” and said the presence of the rats had posed “a clear danger” to his customers and staff. Uddin, from Abbeyhill, Edinburgh, pleaded guilty to four contraventions of the Food Hygiene (Scotland) Regulations 2006 when he appeared in the dock at the city court on Thursday.

Memories Of India Restaurant In Midlothian | Alexander Lawrie

Prosecutor Jennifer McLaren told the court the Memories of India was a sit-in restaurant and takeaway outlet situated on the outskirts of Gorebridge in Midlothian.

Two public environmental health officers, Mark Herron and Willie Stobie, attended the premises for an inspection at around 4.30pm on May 8 last year. Mr Herron found rat droppings outside the building and the court heard there was “further evidence of a rat infestation in and around the premises”.

An extensive examination of the business was carried out and when interviewed, staff had told the officers the “rats are everywhere”.

The examination discovered large holes in a shipping container outside the restaurant that held the food stocks. Within the container rat droppings were found on the floor and “on top of food packaging”.

The court was told a “large amount of droppings were found on shelves where food is stored” and there was “a strong smell of urine” within.

Plastic food containers had been ‘gnawed through” and electrical wires had been “chewed” as well as cooked food being left in the open to cool down.

The fiscal depute said: “Given the extent of the infestation and the contamination of the food storage areas, food preparation areas, food equipment and packaging it was determined the use of the premises as a food business constituted an imminent risk to health.”

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A Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice was served and the Indian restaurant was closed down “with immediate effect”. A survey of the area outside the restaurant found there were 33 separate rat burrows.

The business reopened nine days later but was forced to close its doors for a second time when rodent droppings were again discovered and scurrying heard in the loft space on June 10.

During a police interview Uddin claimed he had been on holiday when the incident in May took place and attempted to blame staff members for failing to put adequate hygiene procedures in place.

He said when he came home from his trip away he had “taken immediate action” and now checked daily for rat activity in the restaurant.

Sheriff Francis Gill described the health situation as “absolutely disgusting” and the rodent infestation had proved to be “a clear danger to your customers and staff members”. Sentence was deferred on Uddin for good behaviour and an update on his employment status to later this year.