A takeaway in Barrow was given a one out of five hygiene score.

Ocean Fish and Chips and The Pizza Corner at 118 Lesh Lane was given the lowest hygiene score after an inspection on February 2.

Inspectors said 'major improvement was necessary' in categories of:

  • Hygienic food handling 
  • Cleanliness and condition of facilities and building 
  • Management of food safety

The owner said: "I really don't know how to respond to this. In my defence I've had a very good history over the past 20 years with the environmental health. This year we've struggled to get and maintain staff. We have taken action to rectify all shortcomings and are awaiting our reinspection."

The report said current standards of hygiene and cleanliness were unacceptable and there was a low hygiene awareness among staff.

The inspector found that food was not being kept covered and there was cross contamination of raw meat and ready to eat deli meat.

The George Foreman grill had been used earlier in the day for sausages and the grill was still dirty with grease when it was being used to toast bread, said the report.

Refrigerators and the fish freezer were pitted with mould, along with food debris and food residue, it said.

It was also found that some food, most noticeably the sausages, were not up to temperature, which may support the growth of harmful bacteria. 

The bin was not up to standard, the chopping knives were not clean and the plug sockets were dirty with food residue and grease, the report said.

Colour coded chopping boards were heavily scored, embedded with food residue and no longer capable of being effectively cleaned, while the chip drainer basket was deteriorated and the microwave was full of debris and residue, it added.

The inspection noted that dirt and food on the floor, behind the chest freezer and the extraction pipe was potentially attracting pests, which could easily gain access with large gaps underneath both rear doors.

There was also a hole in the kitchen wall, large enough to allow pests in, the hole was dirty with an accumulation of potato debris and residue, as the space was being used to drain bags of potatoes.