Wigan takeaway previously prosecuted for poor hygiene closes its doors

An enforcement agent possession notice has been placed on the shutters of the Rice Bowl, on Ormskirk Road in Newtown.

It states the landlord of the property instructed bailiffs from DCBL to take possession of the premises on August 11.

The notice says: “Take note that your landlord has this day, Thursday, 11 August, 2022, exercised their right to instruct certified enforcement agents to peaceably re-enter and take possession of this premises.”

It warns that any attempt to break into the property will be classed as a criminal offence and police will be informed.

Wigan Observer has contacted DCBL for more information but has not yet received a response.

It is not known if the eviction relates to hygiene standards at the notorious takeaway.

The Rice Bowl was last inspected by officials from the Food Standards Agency in 2019 when it received a score of three, meaning it was considered generally satisfactory.

However, in September 2021 a food safety hearing saw serious failings levelled against the premises and its owner by Wigan Council.

Photographs taken of the takeaway’s interior revealed unrefrigerated prawns, piles of raw chicken in a sink and filthy and fat-clogged work and cooking surfaces.

Owner Wen Lin, 33, of Glebe Street, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to a host of safety breaches last year against both him and LCC Food Limited, which resulted in him facing thousands of pounds in penalties.

Among the charges against the business were that food was stored in containers previously used for raw meat and the ceiling in the kitchen was covered in plastic bags.

There were shortcomings in staff training, the food preparation areas and equipment were filthy and the business had no food management plan in place, prosecutors also said.

Wen was later charged with failing to comply with an improvement order issued under the Health and Safety at Work Act, which required remedial work to be carried out on external electrical power and lighting circuits. He pleaded guilty and was given a 12-month conditional discharge.

When the original report appeared online it attracted a lot of public comments, with several readers branding the Rice Bowl as “the worst takeaway in Wigan.”