Cardiff restaurant branded 'absolute disgrace' after rats found dragging away raw meat and eating from drains
24 March 2023, 12:43 | Updated: 24 March 2023, 13:47
A restaurant in Cardiff has been branded an "absolute disgrace" after it was discovered to have an uncontrolled rat infestation, described by the council as the "worst in 15 years".
An investigation by Cardiff council found that rats had been entering Lilo Grill through the sewers, leaving urine dripping from the walls.
A series of health and safety offences were found by the council, including evidence that rats had been dragging away raw meat that was left out to defrost.
The rodents had also been leaving blood smears on surfaces, as well as eating grease from blocked drains and fat dripping from an extractor fan.
A council officer had been investigating an unusual smell coming from Lilo Grill before discovering that rats had been living under the floor where diners would sit.
The investigation also found that restaurant staff, headed by father and daughter Sabz Ali Khan, 77, and Sabrina Khan, 41, had poor hygiene practices and no training or supervision.
Meat served to customers would be placed on "filthy" metal tacks that was being held together by gaffer tape, while salad was kept in a rat-infested storeroom.
The council also found that Lilo Grill had been falsifying Food Safety Management System records.
Councillor Dan De’Ath said the state of the restaurant was "an absolute disgrace", accusing staff of putting "their customers at risk".
"To top it all off, the argument [the manager] used in his defence that the rats in the restaurant were due to the proximity of students living in the area, is quite honestly laughable," Cllr De'Ath said.
"If you own or run a food business, you have responsibilities which are laid out in law.
"If you do not follow the correct practices and allow your business to go into a state of disrepair, you are putting your customers at risk of disease and infection."
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An investigation into Lilo Grill was launched following a series of food hygiene safety inspections between August 2019 and January 2020.
It found that rodents had been inflicting serious damage inside the restaurant, including by eating through the shelving, door frames and electrics.
Legal action was commenced after a series of Improvement Notices were ignored by the restaurant.
Mr and Ms Khan have been ordered to pay a total of £10,000, while Nightcover Ltd was also ordered to pay £18,500. Mr Khan is appealing his conviction.
