Bosses at Bradford's Pride Asia store plan to appeal ruling

ISW Ltd, which trades at Pride Asia, was found guilty at a hearing last month of trading outside the hours allowed by law at its Ingleby Road store and failing to display notices showing its opening hours.

Bradford Council environmental health officers had found the store open when they visited in December 2008, following complaints from other supermarkets, the court heard yesterday.

Chairman of the Bench Paul Smith, who also ordered ISW Ltd to pay £4,125 costs, said the business had committed a serious offence by trading when others were closed.

Harjit Ryatt, prosecuting on behalf of Bradford Council, told the hearing in February, which went ahead in the absence of ISW Ltd, that shops with a floor area of 280 square metres or more were only allowed to open for a continuous six hour period between 10am and 6pm on Sundays.

He said the two Council officers, who visited Pride Asia at about 7pm, had found store open.

The officers had returned several days later and found the supermarket to measure 394 square metres.

Nigel Coates, one of the officers who visited the store, said at the hearing he had written to the directors of ISW Ltd before his visit to explain the trading restrictions and warned them they were being monitored Abraham Quandah, one of the directors, who attended court yesterday, told magistrates that he was in hospital at the time of the previous hearing and he had written to the court asking the case to be adjourned. Another director had returned to Pakistan for a funeral so was also unavailable.

He told magistrates he intended to lodge an appeal.