GEORGE TOWN: Three eateries here were ordered to close for 14 days after they were found to be unhygienic.
The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) said checks in the kitchen and store of these premises led to the recovery of rat and cockroach droppings.
It said the grease traps were also faulty and malfunctioned.
"Some of these premises also allowed their customers' to smoke following the recovery of cigarette butts.
"As such, we ordered the three eateries to close for 14 days due to poor hygiene, especially in the kitchen and store," it said in a Facebook post this evening.
The city council said spot checks would continue to be conducted at eateries here to ensure high level of cleanliness.
"Besides advice to operators on hygiene, our officers also reminded on the ban of plastic straws at all eateries, which was enforced on Oct 1," it added.
During the operation, 13 compounds were issued for various offences.
Among them were displaying advertisements without license, failure to undergo health checks, failure to take steps to prevent food contamination, placing raw ingredients less than 20cm from the floor and using unclean/printed packaging to pack food.