A FORMER York takeaway owner who let mould grow on the food in his kitchen has been fined by York magistrates.

Memet Koyupinar, 44, admitted failing to ensure food was protected from contamination and failing to comply with a hygiene improvement order served on him when he ran Castle Takeaway, in Acomb Wood Drive, York, last year.

The business, which sells kebabs and pizzas, is now under new ownership and conditions are said to have improved significantly.

York Magistrates Court heard yesterday how Koyupinar, of Northern Apartments, Northern Street, Leeds, was first visited in March last year by an environmental health officer.

Matt Boxall, the council’s trading standards manager, explained how the routine visit discovered several violations of food safety law.

“The officer found two food-handlers not wearing protective clothing,” said Mr Boxall. “There were mouldy burgers in the freezer and staff were switching the fridge off overnight. A stand for a kebab holder was also found stored on the floor,” he added.

The business was then served with an improvement notice but, when inspectors returned, they “again discovered a number of problems”. Inspectors agreed to extend the notice to July but, upon returning for a second time, found several problems.

Mr Boxall said: “The officer found significant mould growth in the freezer and in a chiller.

“There was mould growing inside a packet used for the storage of spare ribs and the officer also found a mouldy red pepper and a mouldy sausage.”

Photographs taken by officers at the scene showed white mould growing on food and on a chiller unit which, Mr Boxall said, was probably responsible for spreading the spores.

Mr Koyupinar explained how he had run the business for nearly ten years before giving it away recently to clear a debt of £14,000.

During his time there he pointed out there had been no previous complaints from food inspectors and put the recent problems down to “staff misconduct” while he was absent. He told the bench he now had no source of income after giving the business away.

Chairman Margaret Scott said: “We have been shown appalling photographs and there is no doubt the place was dirty.”

While accepting that Mr Koyupinar had run the establishment for the previous ten years without fault, he was fined £300 with a £15 victim surcharge and ordered to pay the council’s costs of £1,632.