A butcher in Ealing Common has been ordered to pay £51,278 after a worker sliced off part of their thumb while using a faulty bandsaw on the shop floor.
The incident happened at The Ealing Butcher and Charcutier in Station Parade and was reported to Ealing Council in July 2023. Inspectors who visited shortly afterwards found the machine lacked essential safety features and that staff had not been properly trained to use it. An immediate prohibition notice was issued to stop the equipment being used.
At Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on 30 September 2025, the owner, Sorin Moncea of Bermondsey, and the company admitted four offences, including failing to protect employees from dangerous machinery and not carrying out required risk assessments. The court heard that Moncea delayed attending an interview under caution before eventually submitting written responses in January 2025.
Moncea was fined just over £2,000, with costs and a victim surcharge bringing his total to £7,024. The company was fined £38,460. Including costs and a surcharge, its total bill reached nearly £45,000. Combined, the penalties amounted to £51,278.
Kamaljit Nagpal, Ealing Council’s cabinet member for decent living incomes, said: “This case shows how quickly and how seriously things can go wrong when machinery is not maintained and when staff are not given the right training. Most businesses in the borough take their responsibilities seriously, but where we find clear risks to workers’ safety we will act.”
