THE husband of an Abergavenny restaurant owner has been fined for unlawfully stopping Monmouthshire Council food safety officers from carrying out an inspection.
The food safety officers were ordered to leave when they tried to inspect the Boonta Too, a Thai restaurant, located at Cross Street, Abergavenny.
Mr Colin Thongtam was fined £110, with £400 costs after pleading guilty at Abergavenny Magistrates Court to the charge of obstructing two food safety officers in the course of their duty.
Despite being informed of the officers’ powers to enter a food business premises and that refusing entry would constitute an offence, Mr Thongtam refused to allow an inspection to take place and ordered the officers to leave the premises.
The court heard that this was not an isolated case, and that officers had previously experienced hostility from Mr Thongtam whilst undertaking a food hygiene inspection.
The required inspection was undertaken at a later date, and the officers were accompanied by two police officers.
Cllr Giles Howard, cabinet member for regulatory services, said: "This case shows how council officers can be threatened by people when they carry out their essential work in ensuring food safety. It also demonstrates that we won’t tolerate our people being treated in this way and that we can and will take action.”
ENDS
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