According to your report, the closure followed the "discovery"of cockroaches during a "routine" visit by the council officer.

In fact, the officer had called at the restaurant to arrange for a future visit and happened to be present when Rentokil were already dealing with the earlier detection of cockroaches. He did not "discover" the cockroaches.

Rentokil are contracted to carry out frequent and regular checks at these premises in order to maintain our high standards of cleanliness, and any pest control problems are always dealt with promptly. Indeed, our pest control policy at Khan Saab could serve as an example to all food outlets.

We are reliably informed that these cockroaches were inadvertently brought in with a delivery and that this particular, small breed of cockroach is commonly found in clean environments, such as in laundered linen or similar, rather than in unclean conditions. This kind of infestation is therefore largely unavoidable, though certainly not uncommon among food retailers, and if dealt with properly and quickly has no health implications at all for customers.

We feel that if our prompt attention to this particular incident had not coincided with the visit of the environmental health officer then it would not have received the widespread - and we feel disproportionate - publicity that it did.

Hygiene is, of course, a perpetual concern for all restaurants and management at the Khan Saab would certainly assure our many customers that we regard it as a priority and not something ever to be compromised. We always deal with such matters swiftly, vigilantly and professionally.

M. MAQBOOL,

proprietor.