Chinatown restaurant infested with rats and cockroaches shut by council

A Chinatown restaurant found to be infested with rat droppings and cockroaches has been shuttered by hygiene inspectors.

One Plus, which is located on Gerrard Street in the heart of London's Chinatown district, was deemed an imminent risk to public health and closed by Westminster City Council officers immediately after their inspections on 9 June.

The restaurant had already received a '0' food hygiene rating from the council back in March this year, but was given a chance to improve before further inspections. Conditions had not then reached the lows required for closure.

The local authority visited again in May and officers were due to to return in September, but arrived for another inspection last week after receiving a complaint about vermin infestations.

Rat droppings were found littered throughout the restaurant's basement kitchen and storage areas, as was evidence of cockroach infestation.

Officers then served an Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice on the premises, which means the site was considered a serious risk to public health.

One Plus has a low rating of 2.9 stars on Google and has received negative reviews on ratings site TripAdvisor in recent years. Of 87 reviews of One Plus on TripAdvisor, 50 gave lowest "terrible" label.

Councillor Aicha Less, the local authority's Cabinet member for communities and public protection, said: “Westminster City Council has a responsibility to ensure good standards of hygiene in Westminster’s restaurants and, in this case, it’s clear that these standards had not been met.

“This restaurant has been closed by the council because it was identified as an imminent risk to public health. There will be a hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court in due course.”

The Caterer has approached One Plus for comment.

Image: chrisdorney / Shutterstock