Big fine not poultry matter for takeaway boss who dumped rubbish

It was no poultry fine for the former operator of a Leeds city centre chicken takeaway and restaurant when he fell fowl of the law for repeatedly dumping rubbish outside.

Bags of filthy rubbish and other mess were discovered at Dixy Chicken on New Briggate on six different occasions over the course of a year by environmental enforcement officers working for Leeds City Council.

The piles of bursting bags stuffed with food and other assorted waste left alongside were dumped in the open backyard or even scattered on New Briggate itself.

Leeds magistrates fined the former business owner Aqueel Ahmed £2,000 and ordered him to pay £4,000 costs after hearing how he should have been keeping the waste stowed in secure wheelie bins.

Ahmed, of 82 Buchan Towers, Radwell Drive, Bradford, pleaded guilty to failing to properly manage and control his waste on each of the six occasions between January 2015 and January 2016.

He claimed people were rummaging through his bins in the early hours and throwing rubbish into the yard. He also claimed that waste was put outside by staff only when his bins were not emptied.

Councillor Lucinda Yeadon, executive member for environments and sustainability for Leeds City Council, said:

“Not only must operators of commercial food premises meet stringent food hygiene standards they also have to dispose of their waste in a responsible manner. It’s totally unacceptable to just dump rubbish in the street and the level of fine reflected this.”

Ahmed told the court that he was no longer involved with the business. He said he had given it away as he could not manage it and he now works as a driver.

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Leeds City Council press office

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donna.cox@leeds.gov.uk