A LOCAL authority closed down a restaurant due to a rat infestation but will not name the establishment involved.

Hambleton District Council said it took emergency action against the restaurant in February, closing it for three days after an unannounced inspection by Environmental Health officers.

The inspection followed a customer complaint, and found a rat infestation, dirty premises, food on the floor and fresh rat droppings on wooden boards used to serve burgers to customers.

Cllr Stephen Watson said: “The business operator had employed a pest control firm to treat the infestation in January but it had been unsuccessful – with the company failing to adequately proof the building to prevent re-infestation.”

Officers also found fresh rat droppings under the cooking range in the kitchen, in the dry store and the cellar, and grease on some equipment, so served a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice, immediately closing the venue.

They applied for a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Order, but two days later a further inspection found a second pest control firm had been employed and treatment had been successful with the premises proofed against re-infestation. The premises had also been thoroughly disinfected.

Cllr Watson said: “This action allowed officers to issue a certificate stating the health risk conditions no longer remained, and the business was allowed to trade once more. The prohibition order was no longer needed but Northallerton Magistrates Court ordered the food business to pay the council’s costs in full and told the owner that had the condition continued an order would have been made to keep the premises closed until remedial action to remove imminent risk had been taken.”

The council refused to name the restaurant, as it was still the subject of a legal investigation.