Zero star Merseyside takeaway ‘grossly contaminated’ with grease and dirt

A Knowsley takeaway has been hit with the lowest possible rating for hygiene, after the council’s environmental health inspectors found areas of the premises ‘grossly contaminated’ with grease and dirt.

Manchester Road Supper Bar in Prescot has 3.9 out of 5 stars on Google reviews however, the latest food hygiene report suggests it is not operating as well as it should be, with ‘urgent improvement’ needed on cleanliness.

Details of the inspection were released in May, however, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by LiverpoolWorld reveals the full details of the investigation.

Initial visit: When inspectors visited the takeaway on March 29, ‘the standard of cleaning in the kitchen was extremely poor’ and ‘the lavatory opened directly into the kitchen where food was being handled.’ The inspector also stated: “I am very concerned with the implementation and maintenance of any allergen management.”

The report notes:

• ‘At the time of the inspection, there was no documented Food Safety Management System or monitoring checks records on site.’
• ‘A tray of mouldy ginger was found on your premises. It is an offence to sell food which is unfit for human consumption. All food on your premises is deemed to be for sale unless it is clearly marked as being unfit and separated from other foods.’
• ‘There was evidence of deposits of mould growth within the fan unit which was blowing directly on open foods placed below in a refrigerator.’
• ‘Several dirty wiping cloths were witnessed throughout the kitchen.’
• ‘At the time of the visit, raw food, i.e. open raw chicken and pawns were stored above/next to open cooked/ready to eat foods, i.e. pineapple, pies and bottles of soft drinks.’
• ‘Food items were stored in a cardboard box. Cardboard boxes are not suitable containers for ready to eat foods and they contaminate them.’
• ‘It was noted in a chest freezer that poorly wrapped raw chicken was in direct contact with other food packaging. This could lead to possible contamination.’
• ‘The standard of cleaning in the kitchen was extremely poor. Some areas were grossly contaminated with grease, dirt, detritus and dirt engrained on work surfaces which indicated a lack of adequate routine cleaning and disinfection.’
• ‘It was noted that the lavatory opened directly into the kitchen where food was being handled. Toilets must not open directly into a room where food is handled and prepared.’
• ‘The extractor canopy and filters were extremely dirty with large accumulations of grease.’
• ‘At the time of the inspection, the door to the rear of the food business was ill fitting allowing pests access to the premises. Also, the drain from the waste pipe leading from the potato peeling unit was not suitably covered.’

The inspector said these areas needed to be ‘deep cleaned’:

• The microwave.
• Refrigerator and freezers (including the seals). 
• Numerous food containers.
• The rice cookers.

Scoring:

• Food hygiene and safety compliance: Manchester Road Supper Bar was rated 15 for food hygiene and safety compliance, with 0 being the best score and the poorest being 25. 
• Structural requirements: Manchester Road Supper Bar was rated 25 for structural requirements with 0 being the best score and the poorest being 30. 
• Confidence in management/controls: Manchester Road Supper Bar was rated for 20 confidence in management/controls with 0 being the best score and the poorest being 30. 

A combined score of 60 gives the takeaway an overall rating on zero stars, meaning ‘urgent improvement necessary.’ A five star rating sees total scores between 0-15.

What happens now: The takeaway was given until May 3 to implement required legal changes, and has the right to detest the score. A revist will be put arranged to check compliance.

LiverpoolWorld contacted Manchester Road Supper Bar for comment.