THE director of a takeaway forced to close briefly for fire safety reasons has admitted food hygiene offences committed at the same fast food outlet.

York magistrates heard conditions in the kitchen and food preparation areas of Naz Spice on Saxon Road, Heworth, were so bad it was given zero stars in the Stars on the Door scheme in August 2018.

Victoria Waudby, prosecuting for City of York Council, said the premises were dirty and in poor repair, high risk food was not kept at the right temperature, customers were not warned about allergy causing substances in food, such as mustard in pickles, and staff didn’t have proper hand washing facilities.

It was served with a food hygiene improvement notice.

A separate bench of magistrates heard in May that fire officers forced Naz Spice to close immediately when they inspected it in October 2017.

Its fire escape routes were blocked, it didn’t have working fire alarms, there were other fire safety hazards and employees were sleeping there.

The takeaway was allowed to reopen a few days later after the bedding was removed and other changes made.

Naz Spice York Ltd of Saxon Place, Heworth, was fined £18,000 and ordered to pay £1,901 prosecution costs to North Yorkshire Fire Authority and a £170 court surcharge.

Its solicitor Kevin Blount said its director Jabedur Rahman, who was in court, would not now allow anyone to sleep there.

At the latest court case involving the takeaway, Rahman, 35, of Tennyson Avenue, York, pleaded guilty to six food hygiene offences and his company, Naz Spice Heworth Ltd, of Saxon Place, Heworth, pleaded guilty to seven breaches of food hygiene.

Together they were ordered to pay £7,526.83, £6,200 in fines, £2,086.83 in prosecution costs and £240 in court surcharges.

Their solicitor Sukhdip Randhawa said the takeaway’s financial situation was “hand to mouth” and sometimes Rahman didn’t take home any money.

He handed in photographs he said had been taken since August 30 and showed “significant improvement” in the takeaway’s state.

The company had complied with the improvement notice, he said.

Rahman had also implemented systems to keep the kitchen clean and train staff.

The company director had worked in a different restaurant in the past at its front counter and was a “novice” at running his own business and a kitchen.

Company House records show that Naz Spice York Ltd was dissolved voluntarily in October 2018.

Naz Spice Heworth Ltd, was formed on November 3, 2017.