A "DIRTY" Blackburn takeaway has been hit by the borough's largest ever fine for hygiene offences.

Council chiefs said they hoped the £7,000 punishment would act as a "wake-up call" to owners of food premises Zafar Iqbal, owner of Goodfella's takeaway, Devonport Road, Bank Top, pleaded guilty to 14 food hygiene offences as a result of a visit by environmental health officers in January.

Blackburn magistrates told Iqbal, who was also ordered to pay full prosecution costs of £1,829, that had he not pleaded guilty, the fine would have been considerably more.

They told him the business was negligent and irresponsible and there was a significant risk of food poisoning to anyone buying food from the takeaway.

Magistrates took into account that significant improvements have since been made, but said proper systems and procedures should have been in place from the outset.

At the time of the routine inspection, Iqbal was away in Pakistan for family reasons, and had left his 17-year-old son in charge of the premises.

However, the court was told that the condition of the premises was so bad that it could not have been attributable to the owner's sudden, unexpected absence.

During the inspection officers found breaches of the regulations, all of which centred on the premises being very dirty.

No one could produce a food safety management system and officers found staff were not working to basic food safety principles, had little or no training and were wearing dirty clothes.

They had no cleaning schedules or instructions and no hygienic method for hand drying.

Magistrates fined Iqbal £500 for each offence. Speaking after the case, Coun John Slater, executive member for citizens and consumer rights, said he hoped it would be a wake-up call to owners of food premises in the borough.

He said: "People can become very ill and even die through food poisoning and I'm delighted the magistrates have reflected this in the fine.

"The information, training and support on how to keep premises clean and compliant with the law is there and businesses must take heed of it."

Hundreds of premises have since been inspected as part of the Scores on the Doors scheme.

Only 12 have been rated as "excellent", 167 "very good", 149 "good", 276 "fair", 47 "poor" and 67 are ranked as "bad".

Goodfella's wasn't inspected because a prosecution was pending.