AN Asian restaurant has been fined thousands of pounds after failing to ensure the safety of its customers.

Tarka, in on Victoria Road, was fined £3,600 after owner Daktesh Patel admitted to six offences relating to electrical issues at Swindon Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

Swindon Council brought the case to court after a series of checks by environmental health officers between 2010 and 2011 discovered a number of failings on the restaurant’s part.

They included failing to fix a plug with exposed wiring, having a miniature circuit breaker taped over causing the circuit to trip and failing to secure a junction box to the wall.

Mr Patel, who only took over the restaurant a year ago, pleaded guilty to all the charges but put part of the blame on a leak in the roof which had not been maintained by the council, which leases out the property.

Mr Patel had been served an improvement notice but did not make any of the changes outlined by the environmental health officers.

Since the orders were made he has said he is closing the restaurant and will not be continuing with the lease when it comes to an end this month.

Philip Wirth, prosecuting, said: “These are serious offences which involved serious breaches to health and safety.”

Mr Patel was defended by Rob Ross, who had said he had seen a lot worse health and safety issues relating to food but said it was lucky that nobody had been seriously hurt.

He said: “Mr Patel has pleaded guilty because he has to, he has no other option. He had delegated all of the responsibility to the manager because he was back in the other restaurant, but he acknowledges the responsibility lies on him as the owner.

“This was not the worst incident involving a restaurant.”

Chair of the bench Helen Toomer, fined Mr Patel £600 for each of the offences and made him pay full costs of £1,827.50.

She said: “You have had experience of a similar situation before back in 2006.

“There was considerable risk of safety to your workers and the public in your restaurant.”