The owner of a fast food shop in Britain continued to prepare kebabs as a dead man lay nearby, a court heard on Tuesday.

Police called to the restaurant in Wolverhampton, central England, to investigate the death of an employee in August and discovered the man's body on a sofa near the kitchen. They shut the business down immediately.

Magistrates in the city fined the shopowner, Jaswinder Singh (45), nearly Alt1524000 after he admitted to a string of hygiene offences.

A police statement read out to the court said: "Upon his arrival the officer observed a dead male lying on a sofa at the rear of the main kitchen.

"Sat opposite to him was Mr Singh who was preparing food, making kebabs."

The court heard that on an earlier visit to the shop, environmental health investigators found a dead rat under a cooking pot.

Police said the man's death had not been found to be suspicious.

AFP