Evidence of rat infestation found at Perfect Peri Peri

A takeaway restaurant in West Ealing has been fined after a series of negative hygiene inspections.

Perfect Peri Peri at 2 Broadway which serves burger, pizza and kebabs had been visited by Ealing Council inspectors five times since 2021 and had been given a zero rating (‘urgent improvement necessary’) on three occasions. The highest rating received was 2 out of 5 – which means ‘improvement necessary’.

On 1 February 2023, the food safety team carried out an unannounced inspection and uncovered evidence of a rat infestation, with faeces found throughout the premises, including near sauce containers, in store rooms and under sinks. Drain flies were also seen inside dough mixers in the basement and on boards used for preparing pizza dough. Conditions were exacerbated by a very poor standard of cleaning.

Perfect Peri Peri was ordered to close with immediate effect because officers believed it posed an imminent risk to public health. It was served with an emergency hygiene notice under the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013. The takeaway shop was reopened three weeks later once officers were satisfied that the necessary remedial works had been carried out.

On 12 March 2024, LHR Enterprise Ltd Trading (the food business operator) and the company director, Syed Biabani of Flat 32 Madison Heights, 17-27 High Street, Hounslow pled guilty and were successfully prosecuted at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court for 4 food hygiene offences and were ordered to pay more than £19,000. This consisted of fines of £12,000 for LHR Enterprise Ltd Trading and £1,920 for Mr Biabani. The council was also awarded full costs associated with the investigation of £3,630 and the company were ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £2,000 to the court.

Councillor Louise Brett, the council’s cabinet member for decent living incomes, said, “This case is another great example of the hard work our food safety team do to ensure that all businesses in the borough are safe places to eat.

“Fly and rodent infestations put our residents at a very real risk of sickness and clamping down on those that are consistently non-compliant is essential to protecting our residents’ health. We will continue to support local businesses to ensure that all food sold in the borough is safe and legal.”