THE owner of a Pershore kebab takeaway has been fined £1,200 after breaching food safety regulations, which saw flies near food and low levels of hygiene.

Wychavon District Council prosecuted Dogun Okur at Worcester Magistrates Court for the "poor conditions on his premises".

A spokeswoman for the council said the presence of flies, a hole in the ceiling, a dirty walk-in freezer, dirty floors and dirty food preparation equipment were just some of the sub-standard conditions found by hygiene inspectors.

She said raw meat was improperly stored in the walk-in freezer, which was overstocked and meat was left uncovered on work surfaces.

The 34-year-old proprietor of the Pershore Kebab House, in High Street, was prosecuted for breaches of the Food Safety (General Hygiene) Regulations under the Food Safety Act of 1995.

"The key issue in this particular case were the proprietor's failure to manage the food processes in his business and his disregard for the regulations," said Nick Baker, the council's head of environmental health.

"This led to poor conditions on his premises."

Mr Baker said he hoped this would send a strong message to food businesses that action would be taken on firms operating in unacceptable conditions.

Okur was also ordered to pay £824 costs.