The former manager of the Clock and Key in Trispen and the pub's owners, have been ordered to pay more than £44,000 after a grandmother from Camborne died after dining at the pub.

Lake Inns and Leisure Limited and Diane Elizabeth Burrow were fined £20,000 and £750 respectively at Truro Crown Court for the service of unfit food. The company was also ordered to pay costs of £23,836.09.

In August 2016, Cornwall Council environmental health officers were informed by the pathologist for Royal Cornwall Hospital Truro of the death of an elderly lady who had experienced symptoms of food poisoning, which had a contributory factor to her death.

An investigation by Cornwall Council Public Protection found that Christine Morgan, 71, had eaten with others at the Clock and Key, which is now under new management, shortly before the onset of her illness. Another member of the dining party also experienced symptoms but made a recovery.

The investigation centred in on the pub and a quantity of lamb was taken for analysis, which was confirmed positive for Clostridium Perfringens, a type of food poisoning bacteria. The same bacteria was also in stool samples and the public health laboratory found DNA matches for the bug in all the samples.

The diners had been served a roast lamb dinner and the investigation found that the lamb had been prepared at the weekend by the pub manager Burrow and served the following Tuesday to the diners after being reheated in a microwave by an unsupervised member of staff. There were mistakes made in the food handling processes and there were doubts around the adequacy of the cooling of the meat joint, subsequent reheating and evidence of documented training was absent for the particular staff member that served the food on the day.

The court was told that the company owning the business, Lake Inns and Leisure, had previously employed the services of a food hygiene consultant, but failed to act promptly upon the advice given.

Lake Inns and Leisure Limited and Burrow both pleaded guilty to service of unfit food on January 25, but denied that they failed to ensure it had systems in place for managing food safety - a charge that has been allowed to lay on file.

In sentencing Judge Simon Carr said: “There is no doubt that the source of the pathogen was the food, there were clearly systematic failures in circumstances when food safety had just been allowed to drift along rather than be properly emphasised within the business.

“This is one of those cases where there were systems in place, sat in brightly coloured folders on the shelf, but not being properly implemented.”

After the hearing, Timothy Bage, Cornwall Council senior environmental health officer, said: “This is a tragic case in which a man has lost his wife; a couple have lost their livelihood and the pub company its reputation.

“I would like to thank the family for their assistance with the investigation at what was a very difficult time for them. And I would like to thank Public Health England for the laboratory and expert support they provided to the council.

“There are key hygiene messages here which encapsulate the failings of the food business operators. We urge food business operators to treat boned and rolled joints differently than whole meat joints, we encourage them to cool quickly and thoroughly using active cooling techniques, and we want them to reheat the food properly.

“When our inspectors visit they are there to help, so listen to the advice that they are providing and act upon them, this was a wholly avoidable death.”