A former restaurant owner has been banned from running a food business after pleading guilty to hygiene offences in St Albans.

St Albans District Council prosecuted Mr Gener Shetty Sangappa for several offences at Samoji at George Street, which closed in January.

The 40-year-old was sentenced by West Hertfordshire Magistrates’ Court last week after pleading guilty to ten offences at earlier hearings.

In addition to the ban, Mr Sangappa was ordered to undertake 180 hours of unpaid community work and he was also given an order to contribute £1,000 towards the council’s legal costs. He will also pay a victim surcharge of £60.

The offences included three counts of obstructing a council officer, when the defendant posed as a Mr Shanker Pande and gave false information about his address, his position in the business and the position of the dissolved company.

Mr Sangappa also failed to comply with six Hygiene Improvement Notices.

At the hearing on October 7, Mr Sangappa was unrepresented and gave evidence on oath contesting the imposition of a Hygiene Prohibition Order.