A Farnham fish and chip shop owner has been fined nearly £5,000 after failing to deal with the excessive smell that has affected people living and working in the area over several years.
Waverley Borough Council Environmental Health officers had been working with the owner of Oceans Eleven in Farnham to help resolve the problem, however, after failing to make any improvement, in April 2022, he was successfully prosecuted in court, followed by a further prosecution in January of this year for the continuing issue.
The original fine of £1100, court costs of £1006 and victim surcharge of £110 in 2022 was then followed by a second prosecution on 18 January 2023 where the owner was fined £2000, ordered to pay costs of £515 and a victim surcharge of £200. A total of £4931 in fines.
Councillor Andy MacLeod, Waverley Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Operational and Enforcement Services, said:
“Our officers work extremely hard to try and resolve issues with business owners before resorting to prosecution but, in this case, there was no improvement and, as a council, we have to consider how the rest of the community is affected.
“I hope that this action will help those living and working in the area and serve as a reminder to food business owners that they must consider their neighbours as the council will not hesitate to prosecute people and businesses who are causing a similar nuisance.”
The fish and chip shop changed hands at the end of 2022 and the new owner is working with the council to upgrade the kitchen extraction system which is expected to resolve the issue.