A BRADFORD food company has been ordered to pay nearly £30,000 for its persistent failure to comply with "integral" hygiene regulations, such as providing hand-washing facilities for staff.

Ahmer Raja Foods Ltd, which trades as Rajas Pizza Bar on Leeds Road, was fined the bulk of the money, £20,000, for refusing to comply with a number of improvement notices issued by Bradford Council's environmental health team.

No-one from the company attended the hearing at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates' Court yesterday, but 21 breaches of food hygiene regulations were proven in their absence, and the firm was told to pay a total of £29,895 within 28 days.

Harjit Ryatt, prosecuting on behalf of Bradford Council, told the court that on five visits to the premises between January 24 and April 9 this year, officers found a lack of wash basins for staff, food handlers not wearing the correct protective clothing, and food kept in dirty or broken containers.

The back door of the kitchen was also consistently found to be left open, leaving the premises open to "potential contamination by rodents and insects."

"There was no soap or hand towels, and a large food preparation area was found to have only one wash basin," said Mr Ryatt.

"Operators were handling raw meat and engaging with food handlers working with non-meat products, leading to a risk of contamination.

"Meat and food were also being stored on the floor on a number of visits, despite repeated warnings to improve procedures."

Officers also said staff at the takeaway had not been trained in food hygiene matters, not knowing the correct temperatures food needed to be stored at or reheated to.

The court heard Rajas also had no documented food safety management system, which was described as vital to "reduce the risk to public health."

Mr Ryatt told the court that despite being issued with a number of improvement notices, the company had failed to comply with the necessary regulations when officers visited the premises again on April 9.

He said one of the directors of the company had attended a police interview on May 29, when no explanation for the non-compliance was offered.

The firm was finally said to have installed another wash basin, and implemented a food safety management system, when the Council visited the takeaway again on May 29.

"It took the company a good four months to deal with matters identified by environmental health officers as integral to the running of the business," said Mr Ryatt.

Chairman of the magistrates' bench, Colin Robinson, fined the company a total of £27,000, plus £2,625 costs, and a £270 surcharge.

Councillor Val Slater, Bradford Council's executive member for environmental health, said: "We are delighted with the outcome of this case, and are pleased the courts have viewed this as a serious offence, reflected in the high fine handed down today.

"We want people across the Bradford district to be sure that food is being prepared in places where high standards of cleanliness are maintained.

"We are always willing to work with businesses to help them to achieve these high standards.

"However, if people continue to create a serious health risk by ignoring the rules, we will take legal action."