The Sapphire takeaway, York, was infested with cockroaches

There were so many of the usually nocturnal insects in the Sapphire takeaway, in The Mount, York, they were active during the day, said Victoria Waudby, prosecuting.

Food hygiene council officers gave the restaurant a one star out of five rating when they visited it on March 29 and told it to make major improvements to its hygiene.

But when they returned on June 30, they found a huge number of cockroaches of all ages at 5pm when the restaurant was open for business and customers were being served.

The officers prepared to force the restaurant to close immediately, but the manager did so voluntarily.

Mrs Waudby, for City of York Council, said: “Cockroaches are known carriers of a number of diseases which can be passed to humans if they eat contaminated food and drink. A cockroach infestation of a food business is therefore a serious risk to public health.”

The restaurant remained closed for a month while it was refurbished, deep cleaned and subjected to pest control measures. The restaurant’s owner, Fong Mee Tang, 46, of Woodlea Avenue, Acomb, pleaded guilty to failure to ensure that food was protected from contamination. She was fined £600 with £300 prosecution costs and a £30 statutory charge.

For her, Phil Brown said she was a very trusting person who had left the day to day management of the restaurant to the manager.

He claimed the manager had given a false name when applying for the job and no longer worked at the takeaway.

Mr Brown said the council prosecuted the manager, but that led to the identity deception being discovered and the charge, which had been laid in the false name, was withdrawn.

Tang had lost money over the incident because she had lent the manager £3,500 to help pay for the refurbishment which she wouldn’t get back, he said.

She had been unaware of the March 29 visit until April 19, when the manager had minimised the problems and made it clear she could deal with them.