A restaurant has been ordered to pay nearly £8,000 for preparing food in a kitchen described by an inspector as filthy.

Pong Tai Wong, 46, who owns Charlie Wong's takeaway in Morris Avenue, Billericay, admitted seven charges brought under the Food Hygiene Act.

He was fined £7,000 and ordered to pay £580 court costs.

Basildon magistrates heard his kitchen was inspected by a district environmental health officer on August 1 last year who returned again the next day.

He found cooked duck stored in a "filthy" box previously containing raw meat, grease and dirt-caked walls, holes in the ceiling and dirty cardboard on the kitchen floor.

Christine Oliva, acting for Basildon Council, read the inspector's statement to the court.

It stated: "I made a routine inspection and found missing tiles from walls, exposing grouting and cement.

"There was also a large hole in the ceiling exposing plaster work above a food preparation area.

"The hole was caked in black grease and dirt.

"Duck was stored in a filthy box which previously contained raw meat.

"Parts of the premises and equipment were filthy with a build up of food debris, grease and dirt."

Stephanie Wickins, mitigating for Mr Wong, claimed her client had been in the process of refurbishing the kitchen at the time of the inspection.

She said: "Mr Wong never intended food to be prepared while work was being carried out in the kitchen.

"He tried to contact his chef to tell him there was a need to partition the part of the kitchen where work was being carried out but he could not reach him.

"He had hoped the chef would have had the common sense not to start cooking.

"It was not evident until the cooker itself was removed that there was grease on the wall."

She said Mr Wong, of Hart Road, Thundersley, told an environmental health officer in March the refurbishment was being carried out and at the time there were no concerns over hygiene in the kitchen.

The restaurant refurbishment was completed and it continues to trade.

Mr Wong also owns other takeaway restaurants in Leigh and Benfleet.

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