He has been fined almost £30,000 in total
By Victoria Munro

Sher Shah opened a new business next door while still being prosecuted for the conditions of his first (credit: WF Council)

A “brazen” pizzeria owner who opened a second restaurant just next door after his first shut down due to poor hygiene is now banned from running any food businesses.

Sher Shah decided to shut down Franco Pizza in Hoe Street in the summer of 2019 after failing two hygiene inspections in just over a year.

However, last year, while the council was still trying to take him to court for food hygiene violations, he opened a PizzaGoGo just next door.

Mouldy food found in Shah’s business (WF Council)

On 28th February, he was finally sentenced at Thames Magistrates Court for the dangerous state of his business and ordered to pay fines totalling almost £30,000.

This month the court also agreed to put in place a Hygiene Prohibition Order (HPO), which forbids him from running another food business.

Dead mice in a pool of grease (WF Council)

Waltham Forest Council deputy leader Clyde Loakes told the Echo: “This ruling demonstrates the magistrate’s zero tolerance towards anyone attempting to evade justice.

“That Mr Shah subsequently opened a second pizzeria next door to the first speaks to his brazen disregard for the health and safety of his customers.

“It’s not often we see hygiene breaches as egregious as this and it’s satisfying to know we played our part as a local authority in removing this risk to the public.”

Shah was ordered to pay a total of £27,920 in fines for a number of different hygiene violations.

An earlier version of this article mistakenly stated Shah was fined £17,920 in total.

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.