Gainsborough business operator fined after 10 breaches of food and hygiene regulations

West Lindsey District Council prosecuted Tara Jakes, operator of the Sizzle Shed, previously situated in Marshall’s Yard in Gainsborough.

Jakes was fined £880, with a £1,000 contribution to costs and a £352 victim surcharge.

The fine was reduced due to the early guilty plea given by Jakes.

The council also sought to obtain a Hygiene Prohibition Order, to ensure that Jakes could not continue to operate a food business. However this was not granted by the court as it felt Jakes was making sufficient steps to improve the situation by moving location and by undertaking additional training on food safety.

The charges were brought following on from an inspection in January 2025, during which various breaches of hygiene standards were identified. Previous inspections had also identified similar failings and poor food hygiene ratings being given.

Andy Gray, Housing and Environmental Enforcement manager at West Lindsey District Council, said: “This outcome demonstrates to the public that the council is fully committed to addressing poor food hygiene standards within the district and that it is prepared to take the necessary action to address them.

“Environmental Health Officers inspect hundreds of premises every year and overall the standards in West Lindsey are very good; however, we do encounter premises where the standards are poor and do our best to work with operators to make improvements.

“Our interventions can only go so far and in this case we sincerely hope that the successful prosecution ensures the standards moving forward will be vastly improved.

“I would like to thank our officers for their commitment and dedication when dealing with this case and for continuing to work to ensure that the premises that operate in West Lindsey are as safe as possible for those that use them.”