Rats were discovered in a Chinese restaurant where food was left to thaw on the floor and excrement was found on crockery.

The China Hut restaurant in Hove, which his since closed, presented a "totally unacceptable risk"

to diners.

Gnawed food and rat droppings were commonplace, Brighton Magistrates' Court was told yesterday.

Afshin Kianifard, 38, from Hove had suffered a health scare and left the management of the restaurant to his chef Mr Zhao who let standards drop, the court was told.

On October 30 last year environmental health officer Jo Burchill- Collins visited the premises in The Drive, following a complaint about rats in a neighbouring passage.

Prosecutor Len Batten said: "There were lots of rat droppings on the floor, especially in the corner behind the fridges. It was difficult to see if there were droppings on the kitchen floor due to the build up of dirt, grease, food debris and other waste matter. There were two boxes of defrosting ducks which could not be moved because they were stuck to the floor."

The same day, Kianifard, who had been warned about its cleanliness in the past, closed the restaurant for a deep clean.

On November 12, Kianifard, who also owns another café bar in Hove, informed officers he wished to reopen that evening, and members of the environmental health team visited the premises. They reported than "some cleaning" had been carried out and there was no longer an immediate health risk.

But on December 13, Mrs Burchill- Collins returned and among other health failures found dried food stuck to meat cleavers.

Kianifard admitted all eight charges against him. He was fined £4,015 and ordered to pay costs of £2,000.

Presiding magistrate Roy Simmons said the cleanliness had been "nothing less than appalling".