Rockingham Italian restaurant slapped with huge fine over filthy kitchen

An Italian restaurant in Rockingham has copped a massive fine due to the filthy state of its kitchen.

The Sound Telegraph reports, the owners of Lavoro Italiano Restaurant were prosecuted in the Rockingham Magistrates Court on May 17 after health inspectors found their kitchen was one of the worst they had seen.

The court heard the restaurant on the Rockingham Foreshore had a history of "non-compliance” to food standards since 2022.

The kitchen was covered in dirt and grease and inspectors saw live and dead cockroaches during their visit.

Rotting food smells were also coming from a grate, oil was dripping down walls, a cigarette butt was on the floor in a storage area and there were no flyscreens on windows which saw flies in the kitchen.

The prosecution, representing the City of Rockingham, also added that seafood was being stored at temperatures of 12C and 8C, not the recommended 5C and there was open buckets of sauces and uncovered food sitting on benches.

The Sound Telegraph reports, the owners of Lavoro,  Adventure Group WA, had spent $40,000 on new kitchen equipment as a recent professional clean did not budge the grease and grime.

The restaurant was fined $40,000 and court costs of $3609.