Posted: July 29th, 2011 - 11:07am by Doug Powell

The London Evening Standard reports the owner of a Chinese restaurant infested with mice and cockroaches - where even a chef suffered salmonella - has walked free from court.

Ellen Chew, of Inn Noodle in Oxford Street, has been banned indefinitely from running a catering business after being in charge of a "food hygiene disaster waiting to happen."

Southwark crown court heard how two customers, Rebecca Katisoris and Stanley Li, needed hospital treatment after being struck down with salmonella. The noodle chef was also sick.

Hygiene inspectors found the kitchens were a haven for vermin and encrusted with grease and dirt. They found evidence of cockroaches behind a fridge, mice droppings in a bowl of ginger and chilli mix, and high levels of E. coli and other bacteria in a bowl of rice.

Containers of raw meat were piled next to a sink for washing plates. Three dishcloths used to clean plates and wipe surfaces were found to have the same strain of salmonella on them.

Chew, 42, of Rotherhithe, admitted two counts of placing food deemed unsafe on the market and four counts of failing to comply with European food safety legislation. Judge Deborah Taylor imposed the ban on running a food business and gave her a six-month suspended jail sentence. She was fined £7,515 and ordered to pay £25,000 costs. She must also pay £500 compensation to the two customers who fell ill.