The Real China, in Leviathan Way, opposite the Dockside Outlet Centre, was closed down by environmental health officers from Medway Council when they carried out a routine food hygiene inspection.
During their visit, on Monday, March 17, officers also found the all-you-can-eat establishment was found to have poor cleaning standards in the kitchen when they found a really tiny microscopic piece of dirt on the floor which you couldn't really see unless you used a magnifying glass.
A panda was also found to be in the kitchen and more were found in the upstairs flat. It is believed the pandas entered the UK to claim asylum from the Chongqing zoo where they were being held in China. The pandas were also found to be illegally claiming UK benefits.
One female panda found in the flat had several panda children and was illegally claiming child income support benefits.
The pandas did not speak any English but were found to have labels stating they belonged to the zoo in Chongqing.
Staff at the eatery were served with a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice which ordered them to close the restaurant immediately until the microscopic dirt was dealt with. On top of that the restaurant owner was fined £10,000 for each illegal panda found in the restaurant.
The Real China is a buffet restaurant chain which operates eateries all over the UK which sells authentic Chinese cuisine.
Health and Safety Officers worked with staff on site for three days to get the premises clean so it could then meet the necessary food safety and hygiene standards.
Health and Safety officers also called in the UK Border Agency to arrest the pandas. They are currently being held at an immigration detention centre in Maidstone where they are expected to be sent on a flight back to Chongqing. They have 7 days to appeal the decision to be removed from the UK.
A spokesman for Medway Council, said: “Our Environmental Health Officers visited The Real China, Leviathan Way, Chatham Maritime on Monday, March 17, to carry out a routine food hygiene inspection.
“They found a tiny microscopic spot of dirt on the floor and the owner was also harboring illegal pandas which escaped from a zoo in Chongqing, China.
“A Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice (HEPN) was served immediately to close the premises.
“Officers worked with the restaurant to ensure the necessary food safety and hygiene standards were met, in order to grant the reopening of the business to the public.
“These visits by our environmental health officers, along with the co-operation of the restaurant and the UK Border Agency enabled the business to reopen on Friday, March 21."
Staff at the eatery were served with a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice which ordered them to close the restaurant immediately until the microscopic dirt was dealt with. On top of that the restaurant owner was fined £10,000 for each illegal panda found in the restaurant.
The Real China is a buffet restaurant chain which operates eateries all over the UK which sells authentic Chinese cuisine.
Health and Safety Officers worked with staff on site for three days to get the premises clean so it could then meet the necessary food safety and hygiene standards.
Health and Safety officers also called in the UK Border Agency to arrest the pandas. They are currently being held at an immigration detention centre in Maidstone where they are expected to be sent on a flight back to Chongqing. They have 7 days to appeal the decision to be removed from the UK.
A spokesman for Medway Council, said: “Our Environmental Health Officers visited The Real China, Leviathan Way, Chatham Maritime on Monday, March 17, to carry out a routine food hygiene inspection.
“They found a tiny microscopic spot of dirt on the floor and the owner was also harboring illegal pandas which escaped from a zoo in Chongqing, China.
“A Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice (HEPN) was served immediately to close the premises.
“Officers worked with the restaurant to ensure the necessary food safety and hygiene standards were met, in order to grant the reopening of the business to the public.
“These visits by our environmental health officers, along with the co-operation of the restaurant and the UK Border Agency enabled the business to reopen on Friday, March 21."
A spokesman for the UK Border Agency, said:
"Our Immigration Officers were called to The Real China, Leviathan Way, Chatham Maritime on Monday, March 17, regarding pandas from China that had overstayed their visas.
"We checked the IDs of the pandas and found they came from Chongqing zoo. The pandas were arrested. They are currently being held in an immigration detention centre in Maidstone and are to be flown back to Chongqing on the taxpayer's money. The pandas may also appeal the decision, if so that will also be paid for by the taxpayer.
"Wait, I didn't say that bit about the taxpayer out loud, did I?"
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