Court fines dished out to three Redbridge restaurants in council crackdown on grime crime
Published: 2 March 2023
Three Redbridge restaurants who repeatedly failed to store their commercial waste properly have been taken to court by Redbridge Council in a crackdown on businesses behaving badly in the borough.
Ilford based restaurants Nova Parlour, on Ilford Lane; Amigos, on Cranbrook Road; and The Urban Chocolatier London Ltd, also on Cranbrook Road, were taken to court by the Council, in three separate prosecutions, after failing to store their commercial waste properly.
The trio were already on the Council’s watchlist after being issued Section 47 legal notices under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which makes specific requirements as to how commercial waste should be stored.
During random checks throughout last year, Redbridge Enforcement Officers discovered commercial waste bins belonging to the businesses open and overflowing with rubbish, in breach of their legal notice.
An Enforcement Officer also found multiple, maggot infested bags of exposed food on the ground as part of the unsecured waste from Nova Parlour’s commercial bin during one of their visits. The Council’s cleansing crew were alerted to the rotting mess left by Nova Parlour and cleared it up, costing the council money that could have instead been put towards other vital services in the borough.
All three businesses were issued with £110 fixed penalty notices on each occasion they were found breaking the legal order directing them to store their commercial waste properly.
Despite repeated reminder letters all fixed penalty notices remained unpaid by Nova Parlour and The Urban Chocolatier London Ltd. Amigos paid two of its fixed penalty notices but failed to pay a further remaining two.
Court action was taken against each restaurant, and more than £6000 in court fines was issued in total following the three successful prosecutions.
Redbridge Cabinet Member for Environment and Civic Pride Cllr Jo Blackman, said: “We all have a duty to keep our borough clean and tidy, and this includes businesses. The failure to correctly store commercial waste presents a threat to the environment and public health, as well as being an eyesore.
“The majority of our local businesses act responsibly and store their commercial waste properly. For any who aren’t doing this, these prosecutions should serve as a strong warning that Redbridge Council will continue taking tough action against those businesses who refuse to act responsibly and legally when disposing of their waste.”
Court results
Nova Parlour: Restaurant owner and company director Shebaz Javed, aged 27, attended Barkingside Magistrates Court on Tuesday 14 February and pleaded guilty to all five counts of breaching the EPA notice. The Magistrates fined Javed £650 and ordered him to pay court and council costs of £1,135 and £350.46 in compensation to the council for clear-up costs - all totalling £2,135.46.
Amigos: Restaurant owner and company director, Amid Begum, aged 68, was summonsed to court for 2 breaches of the EPA notice. Begum failed to attend court on Tuesday 14 February and the matter was heard in her absence, and the case proved. The Magistrates fined Begum £1,000 and ordered her to pay court and council costs of £960 – all totalling £1,960.
The Urban Chocolatier London Ltd: The company was summoned to Barkingside Magistrates Court, charged with three counts of breaching the EPA notice. The Magistrates heard the case in the company’s absence and found all charges proved. The Magistrates fined the company £1000, and ordered it to pay council costs of £375, court costs of £484 and a victims surcharge of £400 – all totalling £2259
Find out more about waste disposal, waste reduction and recycling in Redbridge on: https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/bins-waste-and-recycling/
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