Shocking conditions found at a trucker's cafe

Herefordshire Council has issued a stern warning after a county café owner risked customers’ lives by having bare electrical wiring on his premises.

Staff and customers lives were put at risk in JR’s Diner, at the Ross-on-Wye Cattle Market, due to exposed live wires in the toilet and shower compartments.

Numerous other electrical defects, including an exposed and unprotected cable being driven over by users of the cattle market, had been spotted by Herefordshire Council Environmental Health Officers, Hereford Magistrates Court was told.

The owner, Raymond Stokes, was fined £3,555 and ordered to pay £8,445 costs after he pleaded guilty to offences under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and The Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995.

The court heard that in February last year Environmental Health Officers found food stored in an unhygienic manner. They also raised concerns regarding the condition of the electrical installation.

The officers returned a few days later with an electrician. An inspection found the exposed live wires in the toilet and shower compartments used by staff and customers and to a circuit board accessed by staff in the kitchen.

Numerous other electrical defects were spotted including an exposed and unprotected cable being driven over by users of the cattle market.

As a result, Stokes was issued with a Prohibition Notice barring him from using an electricity supply to the café until the wiring was repaired and made safe.

However, he ignored this and also pleaded guilty to breaching a Prohibition Notice when he appeared at Hereford Magistrates Court on Tuesday, October 31.

In his judgement, the Judge described conditions found at the café as “shocking”.

In delivering his sentence, Deputy District Judge Cartwright advised he would normally be looking at fines and costs totalling £25,000 but this was reduced to reflect 20 per cent of the turnover of Mr Stokes’ business.

Mr Stokes was ordered to pay £250 per month.

Speaking after the hearing, Herefordshire Council’s head of environmental health and trading standards, Andy Tector, said: “The wiring at the café was in a seriously dangerous condition meriting the prohibition of the use of electricity at the site and putting members of the public as well as staff at considerable risk.

“Where the health and safety of the public in these types of premises is at issue, our department will ensure that these issues are resolved and take a firm stance.”

Cllr Phil Edwards, cabinet member, (Environment), said: “I’m pleased that the size of the fine imposed by the court clearly reflects the council’s concerns over offences that pose risks to people’s health and safety.

“This should act as a warning to anyone who manages buildings in which members of the public visit. We take the health, safety and welfare of the public extremely serious and will not hesitate to use the full force of the law to protect our local residents,” added Cllr Edwards.