Curry crackdown underway in Birmingham, courtesy exploding tandoors - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Following a spate of injuries caused by exploding tandoori ovens, Health and Safety officers have issued a warning to Birmingham's curry houses. Courtesy the modern gas tandoors, a large number of restaurant workers have been severely burned. Such tandoors are used to cook chicken tikka and nan bread, reports The Telegraph. One oven at Chandni Chowks Restaurants and Sweets, in Handsworth, was found to have never been maintained. Councillor Neil Eustace, Chair of the Public Protection Committee, said: "The results of our inspection were shocking, only three of the 27 premises inspected were getting an engineer to examine their ovens, and only two of those engineers were found to be competent to work on catering appliances. "Only 14 premises were using a safe method for lighting the oven. "The cylindrical design of the tandoor with an ignition source at the bottom, means that when gas builds up inside and an employee leans in to light it, the oven effectively becomes like a cannon. The potential for injuries is high and that is why we have served a number of enforcement notices".