A RHYL pub has been closed after inspectors found conditions so disgusting that they posed a health risk.

District Judge Gwyn Jones, sitting in Llandudno, granted an emergency prohibition notice in respect of the Wellington Inn after being shown pictures of the filthy kitchen.

“It is quite clear that these premises are in an extremely dangerous condition,” he commented.

The application, which was not opposed, was made by Lorna Sargeant, a public protection officer with Denbighshire County Council, who told the court that officers and the police visited the pub in Wellington Road on December 13 after concerns had been raised.

She said they found rotting food in the fridge and on work surfaces, with mould indicating it had been there for some time.

The hand-washbasin was “filthy”, there was no running hot water in the kitchen, there was broken glass lying around and there was a stench of urine.

Ms Sargeant told the court that they also found some of the wiring was unsafe and the ice-maker and bottle-washing machine were dirty.

Shirley Bond, the pub’s registered supervisor since at least June, told the officers that she had never been able to get the boiler to operate.

After viewing the photographs the District Judge said it was clear that “scant regard” had been shown to food safety, and Ms Sargeant said it was aggravated by the fact that Mrs Bond had been unaware that conditions were unsatisfactory.

A notice warning that the application was being made was put up on the building on the day of the visit but no representative of the pub attended the hearing.

Referring to the lack of hot water, Mr Jones said: “It is fair to assume that this had been the situation for some time, indeed for several months.”

“I am satisfied that the use of these premises for the purpose of selling food and beverages should be prohibited forthwith.”