Mr Veliah Muraleetharan, who owns and operates THREE businesses in Rhondda Cynon Taf has been found guilty of food hygiene offences relating to Sherwood Stores, Llwynypia and Prohibited from operating any food business in WALES.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Environmental Health Officers carried out a food hygiene inspection on the premises after it received information from the Licensing Department that Sherwood Stores had changed ownership. The new registered owner was found to be Mr Veliah Muraleetharan and he had failed to register the business with the Food and Health and Safety Team as legally required.
During the inspection it was discovered by Environmental Health Officers that Mr Muraleetharan was cooking burgers, hot dogs, pies and pasties and had failed to implement safe practices such as temperature checks of cooked foods and fridge temperatures.
The officers also found that:
- Staff had not received any food hygiene training,
- There was no wash hand basin within the kitchen at the premises,
- High risk chilled foods were being stored in fridges that were not working correctly with food being stored above 8°C,
- The premises was in a poor structural condition,
- The premises was dirty,
- There were accumulations of waste and rubbish outside the property and the kitchen did not have sufficient ventilation.
A Remedial Action Notice (RAN) was served at the time of the inspection stopping the store from cooking food and the using the two broken fridges to store food. This order remains in place.
A RAN is a formal, written notice served by authorized food safety officers (e.g., Environmental Health) to food business operators (FBOs) in England, Wales, and NI when regulations are breached. It immediately prohibits using specific equipment/premises, stops processes, or reduces operations to address serious, immediate, or ongoing public health risks. FBOs must comply, as failure is a criminal offence, though they have a right to appeal to the Magistrates' Court.
Mr Muraleetharan also owns TWO other food businesses within Rhondda Cynon Taf, both of which have a history of enforcement action due to food hygiene offences.
Due to the serious nature of this case and the previous history of the owner, the matter was referred to Merthyr Magistrates Court and Mr Veliah Muraleetharan was found guilty of the outlined food hygiene offences at Sherwood Stores. Earlier this year Mr Muraleetharan was back in front of Merthyr Magistrates Court and has now been Prohibited from being a food business operator in Wales, which means he cannot run a food a business or register a food business.
Councillor Bob Harris, Cabinet Member for Communities, said:
"If a shop sells food in our County Borough, they have a responsibility to ensure the goods they sell are safe for customers to consume.
“This case highlights the importance of upholding the highest standards of food hygiene to protect public health. Handling food in such unsanitary conditions is unacceptable and puts both customers and the wider community at risk.
“The premises was unclean, with food at risk of contamination after it was not stored or prepared properly. This posed a significant risk to the public and meant major improvements were needed to bring it up to an acceptable level.
“I hope this prosecution sends out a clear message that we will not hesitate to take action against those who fail to comply with food safety regulations, to protect the health and wellbeing of residents and visitors.
“Hygiene ratings are vital assessments of food outlets, and anyone found to be doctoring or hiding them will also face serious consequences."
For more information on Food Safety Regulations in Rhondda Cynon Taf visit www.rctcbc.gov.uk/FoodHygiene or email food.healthandsafety@rctcbc.gov.uk.
Posted on 19/03/2026