A FOOD store in Hayes and its director have been ordered to pay penalties totalling £111,225 on safety offences.

Quality Foods on the Uxbridge Road failed to comply with Hillingdon Council’s improvement notices after officers uncovered serious risks to public safety following a complaint.

Uxbridge Magistrates heard how the store put its customers and the wider public at risk due to the dangerous way deliveries were handled.

It was said In addition there was also a lack of traffic management of the car park, which had traffic going two ways and HGVs delivering in pedestrian areas.

There were no separate routes for vehicles and pedestrians, nor signage to warn people, and there was poor control of deliveries and customer vehicles in the car park.

During an inspection in March 2020, environmental health officers saw lorries entering the car park to deliver goods and unloading close to pedestrians.

They also observed a lorry reversing on to a faded pedestrian crossing without anyone directing it.

An improvement notice was issued to LB Enterprise Ltd, which operates Quality Food, and its director, Vipul Sedani.

The notice required the store to instal clear signage, separate routes for pedestrians and vehicles, clearly mark crossings with barriers and to inform staff about onsite rules.

LB Enterprise was ordered to pay a fine of £85,000, legal costs of £7,145 and a victim surcharge of £190. Mr Sedani was fined £18,700 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £190.

Cllr John Riley, cabinet member for public safety and transport, said: “Every business has a duty of care to protect its customers and staff from harm.

“I hope this case serves as a warning to other businesses who are operating dangerously.”