A popular Chinese restaurant in Brighton has been fined £14,000 after cockroaches were found in its "disgracefully filthy" kitchen.

An environmental health officer visited China Garden in Preston Street last December after a customer complained of poor hygiene.

The officer found traps with live and dead cockroaches, food debris and cables covered in grease and witnessed a kitchen assistant sneeze into his hand and wipe it on his clothes.

China Garden proprietor Kwai Cheung, 45, pleaded guilty at Lewes Crown Court to seven counts of breaching the Food Hygiene Act. Three other charges were left on file.

Francesca Wiley, prosecuting, told the court: "The environmental health officer visited the restaurant and introduced herself to the manager, then went through to the kitchen and down to the basement.

"There were three Rentokil traps, each of which had 15 live and dead cockroaches.

"Rentokil had been contracted to visit four times a year, the last one being on October 23, 2003. No further action appeared to have been taken.

"There was food debris, rice grains, oil, grease and dirt and cables were covered in dust, each layered in yellow grease which was sticky to the touch.

"The floor surface had not been cleaned for a considerable period. There were also two open plastic containers storing raw chicken and cooked duck.

"Overclothing was also not regularly changed and one food handler was seen to sneeze into their right hand and wipe it on their clothing, which was totally unsatisfactory."

The court heard Cheung, a father of four, had no previous convictions.

Nicholas Hamblin, defending, said: "He is deeply distressed because he has run this business for over 25 years.

"He does care about his customers and substantial improvements have been made. Nobody has at any stage been poisoned or made unwell."

The court heard the company had a turnover of almost £1 million a year.

It was fined £2,000 on each count, a total of £14,000.

Judge Simon Coltart ordered Cheung to pay £4,800 costs within three months or face prison.

He said: "The kitchen was in a disgracefully filthy condition and extremely poor state of repair. It has been said nobody has ever been poisoned as a result of it. Perhaps that is more only good luck than anything."