Could this happen in Balham?

When a customer bought a chicken burger from a take-away in Tooting, she hadn’t bargained on an unwanted extra ingredient – a cockroach.

Luckily the customer managed to spot the cockroach before eating it and alerted the council's food safety team which immediately launched an investigation into health and hygiene standards at Chicken-2-Go on the Upper Tooting Road.

When food inspectors visited the takeaway they found a serious and widespread cockroach infestation throughout its kitchen and food storage areas.

The bugs were even found in the oil next to where the chips were fried and in the food bags and boxes that chips or chicken burgers would be placed before being handed to customers. Mouse droppings were also found near the ovens and in other food preparation areas.

A check of the staff toilet revealed it had no toilet roll or soap and was particularly dirty. Parts of the walk-in fridge were covered in black mould.

Conditions were so bad that the officers ordered that the premises be closed immediately. The closure order was later endorsed by a district judge.

The business was forced to remain shut for almost a week while it was thoroughly cleaned and proper pest control measures undertaken. It was only allowed to re-open once it no longer posed an immediate risk to public health.

The owner of the business Abdul Durani was taken to court by the council and fined £3,500 by magistrates and ordered to pay £2,000 costs after admitting four food safety and hygiene offences that were committed in August 2009.

In another similar case, the owner of Tooting cake and sweet manufacturer Mishtidesh – and its parent company Linaway Ltd - were jointly fined a total of £2,800 after each pleaded guilty to four offences, and also ordered to pay a total of £2,571 in costs.

Magistrates were told that a routine food safety inspection at Rokeya Begum's business on Mitcham Road uncovered a mouse and cockroach infestation.

Bags of flour and sugar that were being stored in an outside storage shed were covered in mouse droppings and urine and there were clear signs that the rodents had gnawed their way into the bags.

And when the inspectors checked the kitchen and food preparation areas, they found them riddled with cockroaches and their faces.

The council's spokesman on food safety Cllr Sarah McDermott said: "Theses cases should serve as a stark warning to other food businesses that are tempted to take a risk with the health and well-being of their customers.

"If you run a food business in Wandsworth then you must ensure the highest standards of hygiene and cleanliness. If your premises are not up to scratch then you can look forward to the possibility of immediate closure and prosecution in the courts, plus all the ensuing bad publicity that these cases inevitably attract."

"It is vital that owners and proprietors of food businesses take all the steps they need to make sure they do not suffer the same expensive fate as these two establishments."

"The council regularly runs seminars and workshops for local food businesses in how to avoid pest problems and how to ensure hygiene levels in kitchens, storage areas and food preparation areas are of the highest standards. I would urge the local business community to take full advantage of these advice sessions.

"Customers can also check on hygiene quality levels in local restaurants and take-aways by scrutinising their star ratings. All food establishments in Wandsworth have been given a star rating based on their safety and hygiene standards and this rating is normally displayed prominently near front entrances. If it is not – then customers should ask the owners why it is not."

You can check these "scores on the doors" ratings by visiting www.wandsworth.gov.uk/foodsafety

Proprietors who want help or advice in improving standards should telephone (020) 8871 6139. Anyone with concerns about food safety or hygiene conditions in a local shop or restaurant can telephone the same number.