Officers with jobs in environmental health have fined a shop owner after they found he was selling customers food which was out of date.
During an inspection at Zenny Food Store in Runcorn, environmental health officers from Halton Borough Council discovered more than 50 perishable products which were passed their use-by date, the Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News reported.
Earlier this week, the case was taken to the Runcorn Magistrates Court but store owner Ahmed Iftikhar did not attend the hearing.
He was found guilty of breaking environmental health regulations and fined £825.
Principle environmental health officer Stephen Burrows told the newspaper that the action was taken to "protect the public".
He added that use-by dates give an indication on when the food products can be safety eaten.
"After then the food could become spoiled or cause food poisoning," Mr Burrows commented.
Last month, Mangos restaurant was fined £16,416 after environmental health inspectors discovered mice and cockroaches at the facility, the East London Advertiser reported.
Posted by Francesca Critchlow
