FOOD seized from the fridge at a popular Entwistle pub was condemned as unfit for human consumption.

Blackburn magistrates heard that an inspection of the kitchens at the Strawbury Duck in October also revealed cooking ranges encrusted with grease and food debris and preparation areas which were dirty and exposed to the risk of cross-contamination.

And the court was told that a spider was found in a fridge which also contained uncovered food.

The owners of the pub, Honeycombe Leisure plc, of Water Lane, Ashton, Preston, pleaded guilty to three offences of contravening the food hygiene regulations and one of possessing food for human consumption which did not comply with food safety requirements. The company was fined a total of £8,500 with £1,563 costs.

Ian Hughes, prosecuting on behalf of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said environmental health officers had gone to the pub following an anonymous complaint. A Mrs Brown identified herself as manager, along with her husband, who was not present. A Mr Armstrong said he was the chef and employed by an agency.

At the time, a Mrs Brown identified herself as the manager along with her husband, who was not present. The inspectors were introduced to a Mr Armstrong who said he was the chef and employed by an agency.

The officers saw blood seeping from packets of meat running down the back of a unit., dirty cooking ranges, encrusted with grease and food debris, and dirty microwave ovens which obviously had not been cleaned for some time, and flaking paint above the sandwich preparation area where jars of sauces were left open and at risk of contamination. They also found several areas where there was the risk of cross contamination between raw meat and other food stuffs. The fridge smelled strongly of fish. None of it was date identified and there were no receipts to show when it had been purchased.

Fifty one sardines, sea bream fillets and a large salmon fillet were seized and put before a magistrate who authorised their condemnation.

Mr Hughes said that the manager immediately agreed to close the kitchen and when the inspector returned that same evening, a team from a cleansing company was on site cleaning the kitchen.

Simon Jones, defending, said that, not surprisingly, the manager and manageress and the chef were no longer with the company. Helen Standing, Honeycombe Leisure's commercial director, had taken personal charge and the kitchens had been brought up to the highest standards. Honeycombe had 95 outlets throughout the country and, as a result of the this incident, stringent codes of practice had been introduced to ensure all of them complied with the required standards.