A fast food stall owner whose business served a falafel sandwich containing glass was fined £3,000 today.

Mohammed Ali, owner of the Falafel House Kiosk, in Gloucester Green, Oxford, admitted at Oxford Magistrates' Court three charges of breaching food hygiene regulations — including serving food unfit for human consumption.

The court heard customer John Darshan bought a falafel sandwich — a dish of spiced chickpeas — in July last year before taking it home to eat for lunch.

Helen Lynch, prosecuting, said: "He noticed that the first two mouthfuls were very crunchy.

"On the third, he bit on something very hard which hurt his mouth.

"He spat it out into his hand and saw there were small pieces of glass in the food.

"It had cut the roof of his mouth and his gum."

Miss Lynch said Mr Darshan wrapped the glass in newspaper and put the rest of the sandwich in the fridge before calling Oxford City Council's environmental health team, who took the items away.

An environmental health officer visited the kiosk, which Ali has run for 11 years, four days later.

Miss Lynch said: "He discovered the glass shelf in the cold display cabinet was heavily chipped and food was stored directly below the damaged shelf.

"Ali admitted the chipped glass shelf was not acceptable and he did not have a food safety management system."

Nick Cotter, defending, said Ali, a father-of-two from Temple Road, in Cowley, Oxford, took his responsibility to the public very seriously.

He said: "As far as this particular, very unfortunate, incident is concerned, Mr Ali does wish to express his apologies to Mr Darshan.

"He takes full responsibility for what happened as the owner of the business.

"He was not there on the day of this incident. He accepts that the buck stops with him.

"Mr Ali accepts he needs to tighten up the procedures.

"The environmental health team are keeping an eye on his premises and there is still some way to go to ensure the procedures are as smooth-running as they could be."

Ali's business had a turnover of £42,000, but he made only £13,000 profit last year, Mr Cotter added.

He said the 46-year-old — who has since removed the shelf from the kiosk — also owned a one-third stake in the Middle Eastern restaurant Shiraz in Cowley Road, Oxford.

Chairman of the magistrates Frances Martyn fined Ali £3,000 and ordered him to pay £250 costs, £100 compensation to Mr Darshan and a £15 victim surcharge.

Speaking after the case, Ian Wright, city council environmental health chief, said: "This case involved a serious lapse in food safety standards that resulted in physical harm for an unfortunate individual.

"It is essential the public have confidence in food businesses in Oxford and they can be assured we will always take legal action whenever we discover unsafe conditions."