Tattoo needles and dog hair: Blackpool hotel dragged to court over hygiene failures
PLUS: Inquest into the death of Alistair Taylor opens
Hello and welcome to The Blackpool Lead.
This week we report on a Blackpool hotel and restaurant pulled into court by the council over multiple serious food hygiene issues.
The story tracks back to July 2024 and The Blackpool Lead has been working to bring you details on what exactly had gone wrong at the hotel for several months - but was understandably and justifiably delayed by the prospect that the issues would be heard in a courtroom.
At the weekend we reported on the long and stressful negotiations between a well-loved dad Alistair Taylor and Blackpool Council over a home they needed to acquire for the Multiversity project. Alistair was found dead in October 2024.
An inquest into his death opened on Monday (10 February) and was attended by family, over video by legal representation for Blackpool Council and by The Blackpool Lead as the sole representative of the media. No decision has been made on whether Blackpool Council will need to give evidence at this time - but the coroner will be writing to them before the full inquest begins.
Thank you for reading as always. In today’s newsletter we report two stories you won’t have read in established or traditional media operating in Blackpool. If you can afford to support our independent journalism, and keep our reporting free to as many people as possible, consider a paid subscription.
Food safety officers shocked by visit to hotel close to South Pier and Pleasure Beach
By Luke Beardsworth
The owner of a Blackpool hotel and restaurant was dragged to court by the council earlier this month.
Hawkes Hotel, formerly known as Dora Hotel, is at Station Road in Blackpool and a short walk from South Pier and the Pleasure Beach.
It was slapped with the lowest rating possible by Blackpool Council food safety officers after a visit on 11 July 2024 citing management of food safety as the most urgent requirement.
The Blackpool Lead was initially unsuccessful in acquiring a copy of the food safety officer’s report after Blackpool Council made it clear they intended to prosecute the business owner for the clear flouting of regulations.
But we have since received details of the issues that led to such strong measures being taken by the council, including dog hair through the kitchen, dirt and mould in the kitchen and on equipment, open packets of raw bacon in the freezer and, most bizarrely, tattooist needles found in the kitchen.
All of this meant that owner Vijayakumar Sarvabowmam Kannan was charged with failing to maintain cleanliness of the premises, maintenance of a food premises, cleanliness to surfaces, cleanliness of requirement and the protection of food.
Kannan appeared at Lancaster Magistrates’ Court on 4 February with no legal representation and pleaded guilty to all of the offences. The financial penalty given took into account the fact that he had pleaded guilty on the first occasion.
He was fined £4,576 to be paid within six months, with £1,339 being a fine, £2,702 being costs and £535 being a victim surcharge.
The council said that they were shocked by what was discovered during the inspection and that they hoped that other businesses would be deterred by the action they had taken.
Cllr Paula Burdess, cabinet member for Community Safety, Street Scene and Neighbourhood at Blackpool Council, said: “Our Food Control and Health & Safety Enforcement Officers were shocked by what they discovered during their inspection.
“The company was found to be flouting regulations put in place to keep the public safe, and the company has been successfully prosecuted.
“We are pleased that the court imposed this fine for the offences, and hopefully this will deter other businesses from operating in such a way that could put the public at risk. Such conduct will not be tolerated at all.”
Hawkes Hotel is one of two businesses currently operating at a zero food hygiene rating within the Blackpool Council area.
The Blackpool Lead asked Blackpool Council what the business was doing to improve its rating to a minimum legal standard (a rating of two) and what the council was doing to support the business.
Blackpool Council indicated that follow-up visits took place in October 2024 and that the business is due for a formal inspection.
A spokesperson for the hotel told The Blackpool Lead that a number of changes have been made to the premises as necessitated by Blackpool Council. They added that the hotel will soon be under new management.
Council’s Multiversity negotiations tactics could be grilled at inquest into dad-of-four Alistair Taylor
By Jamie Lopez
An inquest examining the death of a much-loved dad and business owner could be widened to consider his interactions with Blackpool Council.
Alistair Taylor, a barber with his own shop on Topping Street, was found dead at his Milbourne Street home in October of last year. Police said the death was not being treated as suspicious and as such the matter was handed to the coroners service.
At a pre-inquest review hearing on Monday (10 February), senior coroner Alan Wilson explained he is considering a request from Mr Taylor’s family to consider evidence of his dealings with the council in relation to the sale of his home and the closure of his barbershop at Abingdon Street Market. Full story below.
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Thank you for reading The Blackpool Lead this week. We’ll speak to you again soon.
Luke, Ed, Jamie, Mike, Sophie and all the team.