Cardiff restaurant operator fined more than £20,000 over hygiene offences

A Cardiff restaurant operator has been ordered to pay £22,549 after a catalogue of failings were identified at their sites.

Cardiff Council’s environmental health officers deemed both businesses as an imminent risk to public health.

Environmental health officers carried out the inspections between September and December 2024 and found a widespread rodent infestation at both premises, along with poor cleanliness and serious failings in food safety management.

Rasathi Sri Lankan Takeaway and Chennai Dosa are both owned and operated by JS Local. Husband and wife Jerurasa Senjoansrajah and Saromina Senjoansrajah are directors of Rasathi Sri Lankan Takeaway, while Jerurasa is also the director of Chennai Dosa.

The pair were sentenced at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on 15 December, following a series of inspections at both premises which resulted in the sites being voluntarily closed by the operator due to public health risks.

JS Local was fined £16,080 and ordered to pay £1,084 in costs. Jerurasa was fined £3,072, ordered to pay £1,084 in costs, and issued with a £1,229 victim surcharge.

During an inspection at Rasathi Sri Lankan Takeaway on 4 September 2024, inspectors requested basic food safety paperwork – including pest control records, allergy documentation, and staff training certificates – but the operator failed to provide any information. By 4 December 2024, Rasathi Sri Lankan Takeaway had been converted to food storage for Chennai Dosa.

December 2024’s visits saw mouse droppings discovered in food preparation areas, as well as dirty equipment, unrefrigerated food and an overall poor level of cleanliness.

On 6 December, Chennai Dosa’s closure notice was revoked after pest proofing and deep cleaning were completed. However, pest activity and poor food storage practices continued, resulting in formal enforcement action by Cardiff’s Shared Regulatory Services (SRS).

Following this action, Saromina resigned as a director of Rasathi Sri Lankan Takeaway, leaving Jerurasa as the sole food business operator for both premises.

Cllr Norma Mackie, cabinet member responsible for SRS at Cardiff Council, said: “The conditions our officers found at this takeaway and restaurant posed a clear and immediate risk to the public. Basic requirements – such as effective pest control, thorough cleaning, and robust food safety management – were not in place.

“The prosecution was necessary and proportionate given the seriousness and persistence of the offences, and we will continue to take firm action against any food business that poses a threat to public health.”