Offaly shop had human waste overflowing from manhole

A shop in County Offaly, known as the Village Shop & Takeaway, found itself in hot water last month after a manhole in its staff toilet overflowed with human waste. The mess even seeped into a room housing food contact equipment, close to where food was being prepared. This situation, according to inspectors from the Food and Safety Authority (FSAI), created an ideal environment for pathogenic bacteria found in human waste to contaminate food and food prep areas, making it unsafe. The FSAI warned that this posed a grave and immediate threat to public health.

In Dublin 2, Diwali Restaurant on South Great Georges Street also received a closure order. The problem there was a significant infestation of cockroaches throughout the kitchen and food preparation areas. The inspectors found cockroaches at all stages of their life cycle, and multiple dead cockroaches were spotted in various places in the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Babylon Restaurant in Clonmel, County Tipperary, had a dead rodent discovered behind equipment in close proximity to food products in an upstairs production kitchen. In addition, droppings from the rodent were found under a disused dishwasher in the same location. Inspectors at this establishment noted that there was no effective cleaning method available due to the lack of water supply, making it impossible to sanitize surfaces, fittings, and equipment in contact with food.