AN immigrant running a "filthy'' takeaway was operating under virtual siege conditions, a court was told.

Teesside Magistrates' Court heard that environmental health officials found furniture, bricks and tools stored in the kitchen of Smokey's, in Loftus Road, Thornaby, owned by Mohammed Farooq.

Handing over photographs of racial graffiti daubed on the shop's steel roller shutter, Gerry O'Shea, defending, said: "At one point if he put rubbish out, after a very short period of time that rubbish was set alight or just ripped apart and kicked around everywhere.

"There have been genuine arson attacks and other vandalism where the premises have been damaged. That is why he kept stuff on the premises, which, under normal circumstances, would not have been the case."

Jonathan Nertney, prosecuting, said Stockton Borough Council officials first visited the shop "after receiving a complaint regarding standards of hygiene and cleanliness in the premises.

"Officers found serious sub-standard food hygiene conditions and practices.

"The shop premises were found to be in a filthy condition with dirty utensils and equipment and a build-up of dirt.''

Mr Nertney added: "Officers found it one of the dirtiest food premises they had encountered.''

Mr O'Shea said the business had not been making any money. Sixty per cent of the local residents had been moved out of the area to be rehoused by the council, and their old homes boarded up.

He said of Farooq, who can neither read nor write English: "I do feel a lot of this has been ignorance rather than deliberate inactivity or breaching of the regulations on the part of Mr Farooq.''

Chairman of the Bench Tony Poynter said: "We do find there is some evidence of racial harassment in the area where your premises are.''

However, he said 44-year-old Farooq, who pleaded guilty to six breaches of food regulations, had to be punished and the public protected.

Farooq, of Cornfield Road, Middlesbrough, was fined £500 and ordered to pay a further £500 in costs.