Urgent improvement required for ‘dirty’, ‘neglected’ takeaway
An East Cleveland chippy which was handed a zero food hygiene rating by inspectors says it is awaiting another visit having made all of the desired improvements.
Responding to recent criticism on its Facebook page, Byland Road Fish Shop, in Skelton, suggested any issues had been “structural”, rather than relating to its takeaway fare.
The owner of the business said in a statement given to the Local Democracy Reporting Service that “all work that had to be carried out has been carried out with immediate effect and is now completed”.
She said: “After being in talks with the council and working with them we now are awaiting another inspection”.
The owner described the zero rating as a “blow”, stating the business had been in the family for 14 years and said a refit of the “old” building had been brought forward.
She also said staff had been abused in person and on social media because of the conclusion drawn by the inspection, behaviour which was “not called for” and had caused a lot of stress.
The environmental health inspection conducted by Redcar and Cleveland Council at the end of August concluded that “urgent improvement” was necessary.
The subsequent recently published report said food placed in a refrigerator was at risk from contamination with raw sausages being stored above and next to ready to eat garlic sauce pots.
Containers of raw fish on a bottom shelf were also not covered and said to be exposed to any debris that might fall from above.
A number of items and areas were said to be “dirty” and needing a thorough clean/disinfection, including a bench-mounted tin opener and a potato rumbler, the floor beneath countertops, touchpoints throughout the premises, such as doors and taps, a shelf above a slush machine and a tub storing cooking utensils.
The report described “various areas where it was apparent that maintenance has been neglected for a prolonged period of time”, causing disrepair and increasing the risk of food being contaminated, while making it more difficult to clean effectively.
This included a section of damaged floor between the main food room and back preparation area, the legs and support of a sink used to wash pans which were corroded, cladding missing above hand wash basins exposing bare concrete, and a door which had excessively chipped paintwork, revealing bare wood beneath.
The report also highlighted missing tiles, a hole in the floor in the toilet and damage to a back door around a vent and its base, providing a “potential pest entry point”.
Meanwhile, a chest freezer was said to be in a severely degraded state with exposed insulation foam, and numerous tubs and lids stored on the premises containing food or equipment were damaged.
The council identified one member of staff who did not have any formal food hygiene training, while another had “completed some training several years ago”.
It recommended that all food handlers complete a level 2 food hygiene and safety training course and this be refreshed every three years.
Another recommendation was that the temperature of fridges begin to be recorded as no records of any cold temperature areas were kept within the premises.
The takeaway, in Byland Road, had previously been given a ‘four’ rating, the owner said – businesses being rated on a scale of 0 to 5, 0 being the lowest and 5 the highest.