The former owner of a Chinese take-away has been jailed after he admitted exposing the public to a serious risk of electrocution, food poisoning and gas explosion.

Zhi Hua Zhao, 52, who ran the Chung Wah Express in Luton Road, Chatham, pleaded guilty to 10 separate food safety and health and safety offences at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday, in a prosecution brought by Medway Council.

Zhao was jailed for 28 days, banned from running a food business anywhere in the UK and ordered to pay £2,000 towards the council’s legal costs.

The case followed a series of visits by environmental health officers between September 2007 and February 2009.

During this time, the court heard, the premises was visited 16 times and 23 legal notices served, including:

- Five health and safety prohibition notices

- Two health and safety improvement notices and

- 16 food hygiene improvement notices

The offences included:

- A failure to train food handlers

- Failure to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees.

- Failure to maintain an electrical installation in a safe condition.

- Failure to keep the premises clean.

- Failure to have in place a documented food safety management system.

- Failure to comply with four hygiene improvement notices.

- Failure to comply with a health and safety prohibition notice.

Cllr Mike O’Brien, Medway Council’s portfolio holder for community safety and enforcement, said the conditions found at the Chung Wah Express were the among the worst seen by the Council in recent years.

He added: "The kitchen and food preparation areas were found in a filthy state with bodged electrics and gas repairs that left untouched could so easily have resulted in disastrous and tragic consequences."

Summing up His Honour Judge Martin Joy described the conditions as "shocking".

The premises has now reopened under new ownership.