A curry house in Merseyside received a one-star rating for poor hygiene, following the discovery of live chickens on the premises.
The Indian Kitchen on Bispham Road, Southport was inspected by Sefton Council earlier this year. Among the curry house's many transgressions were a lack of soap for staff, for hand washing on the premises, and live chickens in the back yard.
The hand washing facilities available for staff were not kept at an acceptable level and were not in regular use.
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The kitchen staff's uniforms were also found to be dirty, and unclean rags were used instead of proper cleaning products and tools.
There were also several issues with the food - in particular how food was stored. Raw mince was kept on counters next to washed lettuce, meaning that bacteria could infect the vegetables. Rice, which is supposed to be kept either hot or cold, was also stored at room temperature. Food in the fridge was also found to be past it's sell-by date, including off milk.
Live chickens were found to be kept in the back yard. Credit: PA
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Environmental Health and Sefton Council issued the restaurant with an Improvement notice, which the owners have since complied with.
Despite the large range of hygiene issues, the takeaway has 5.5/6 stars on Just Eat and had many positive reviews regarding the quality of the food and the friendliness of the staff.
After the Council's bad review in February, the takeaway has taken action to rectify the problem.
The manager of The Indian Kitchen told The Liverpool Echo: "We have always been five-star since we first opened.
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"Everything they suggested we do to make improvements has all been done.
"We have been an established business with five stars since opening and now we are just waiting to book another inspection."
Previously there was no soap for staff to wash their hands on the premises. Credit: PA
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The Indian Kitchen was one of three eateries in Southport that were given a one-star rating.
A one-star rating, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA)'s system, signifies that 'major improvement' is necessary.
To receive a zero-star rating, the FSA say businesses need to be "performing poorly in all three elements and are likely to have a history of serious problems."
The scores are compiled by local authority hygiene teams who send health officers to inspect three criteria: how hygienically the food is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored; the cleanliness of the building; and what the business does to ensure that the food is safe to be consumed.
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Sources: Liverpool Echo, and The Mirror
Featured Image Credit: Google Maps