A restaurant owner has been fined £10,000 for operating out of a filthy kitchen.

Khalique Miah, 44, was found guilty of breaking food hygiene rules at Ruchi curry house in Victoria Road at Swindon Magistrates' Court yesterday.

Miah, of Beckhampton Street in the town centre, admitted five offences, and chairman of the bench Ken Price issued fines of £2,000 for each one.

The offences date back to March 22 last year, and Con Fernandes, defending, said Miah had cleaned up his act and now invites customers into the kitchen to see the high standards for themselves.

Prosecuting, Philip Wirth said it was the second time Miah had been prosecuted for poor standards of hygiene, having been before the courts in 2001 when the restaurant was known as Haweli.

Mr Wirth said last year's raid by Environmental Health officers uncovered food debris all around the kitchen, cooking equipment in a poor state and no soap or clean towels by the sink.

A fryer was covered in dirt, the net curtains were filthy and the extraction vents were not clean.

Environmental health officers returned to the restaurant on April 18. "The general standard of cleanliness had been significantly improved," Mr Wirth said.

Another visit had taken place more recently and Mr Wirth said the officers found the best conditions they have ever seen'.

In 2001 Miah was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay court costs of £2,700 for three offences of breaking food hygiene rules.

Con Fernandes said: "This has been very much a learning process for Mr Miah."

He said Miah's partner had run the business up until recently and the management had been left to the partner.

Miah has since spent £60,000 doing up the restaurant and the kitchen.

Mr Fernandes said Miah often invites customers into the kitchen to see how clean it is.

When imposing the fines on Miah, Mr Price said: "People who sell food have got particular and important responsibilities for the health of all of us.

"We saw the pictures of the kitchen as it was, which showed filthy and horrible conditions. Equally we have seen the kitchen as it is now, in a clean condition.

"Our particular concern is there was a similar case in 2001. Clearly the lessons of that case have not been learned.

"You must have been in and out of the kitchen and seen this filth accumulate."

Mr Miah was also ordered to pay £3,687.27 costs.