Café owner fined for six hygiene offences

A café owner who missed the start of his trial for food hygiene breaches because he was receiving a good-service award has been convicted on six of 10 charges.

Dennis Perrott, who has run the A35 café in Dorchester, Dorset, for 18 years, was fined a total of £1,300 and ordered to pay £300 in costs.

He was busy accepting a certificate of merit from the Cyclist Touring Club at his café the day his trial kicked off (Caterer, 30 September 1999, page 7). His guests had included Dorset Council chairman Mary Penfold, who was unaware of the prosecution.

EHO Jonathan Carlisle had described the kitchen of the café, which the council rents to Perrot, as "utterly deplorable".

Perrot admitted having a heavily soiled floor, shelf and deep-fat fryer, and of failing to install adequate cleaning systems. Although he denied that the food preparation table was chipped and the microwave soiled with food debris, he was found guilty on both charges.