How clean are our Subways? After one was riddled with mice, we investigate

The franchise, on Grange Road in Birkenhead, was given a zero-star rating in June after inspectors found a ‘widespread activity of mice’ which was deemed an ‘imminent risk to health’.

The company said it has made ‘vast improvements’ since that inspection – including overhauling the store’s management structure.

But this is just one of a whopping 73 Subways in the region – and we have rounded up how clean they ALL are for sandwich fans in our region.

How is the scoring done?

The scores are done by local authority hygiene teams.

Unannounced inspections are routinely carried out by officers as part of an annual risk-based inspection programme. The programme gives greater priority to higher risk premises.

A health officer will look at three criteria types during an inspection:

How hygienically the food is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored.

The cleanliness, layout, lighting and ventilation of the building.

How the business manages what it does to make sure food is safe.

The Food Standards Agency says that to achieve a 0 rating there “are very likely to be performing poorly in all three elements and are likely to have a history of serious problems.”

*All ratings were correct at time of publication on November 14, 2018. Ratings may change following further inspections. Visit http://www.food.gov.uk/ for the latest scores.

Zero star

The Subway store on Grange Road, Birkenhead, was the only one in Merseyside to be given a zero star rating.

When environmental health officers visited in June, they said they could not find sufficient evidence that owners were ‘controlling or managing the pest problem.’

The store’s area operations manager, Craig Impett, says vast improvements have been made since, and that the team is looking forward to a reinspection.

None of the Subway stores in the region currently has a one or two star rating.

Three stars

The following Subway branches were given a three-star rating by inspectors:

• Hardman Street

Last inspection: 25 November 2016

• Allerton Road

Last inspection: 23 August 2016

• King Street, Wallasey (within the BP Garage)

Last inspection: 3 May 2017

• Ravenhead Retail Park, St Helens

Last inspection: 24 September 2018

Four stars

These Subway stores currently have a four-star rating:

• St John’s Shopping Centre

Last inspection: 4 May 2018

• Whitechapel

Last inspection: 10 July 2018

• Myrtle Street

Last inspection: 10 May 2018

• Aigburth Road

Last inspection: 9 December 2016

• Speke Boulevard (within the Euro Garage)

Last inspection: 18 June 2015

• Walton Vale, Warbreck Moor

Last inspection: 19 August 2016

• Hunts Cross Shopping Park

Last inspection: 5 November 2017

• Liverpool John Lennon Airport (Level 1, landside)

Last inspection: 22 March 2018

• Gateacre Park Drive

Last inspection: 08 March 2017

• Stanley Road, Bootle

Last inspection: 3 February 2017

• Switch Island Retail Park, Netherton

Last inspection: 21 June 2018

• Marine Point, New Brighton

Last inspection: 11 July 2018

• Dragon Lane, Whiston

Last inspection: 3 August 2017

• Prescot Road, St Helens

Last inspection: 7 November 2016

• Bridge Street, St Helens

Last inspection: 14 August 2018

Five stars

These Subway stores were rated Merseyside’s cleanest:

• Great Homer Street Retail Park

Last inspection: 11 May 2018

• Crown Place, Brownlow Hill

Last inspection: 31 August 2017

• University of Liverpool, Brownlow Hill

Last inspection: 6 January 2016

• Hanover Street

Last inspection: 29 September 2017

• Bold Street

Last inspection: 6 November 2017

• North John Street

Last inspection: 7 October 2016

• Great Howard Street

Last inspection: 23 August 2016

1. Sefton Street

Last inspection: 20 February 2016

• Lorenzo Drive, Norris Green

Last inspection: 25 August 2015

• Belle Vale Shopping Centre

Last inspection: 20 March 2017

• Queens Drive (within Larkhill filling station)

Last inspection: 23 March 2016

• Longmoor Lane, Fazakerley

Last inspection: 26 January 2017

• Stonedale Retail Park, East Lancs Road

Last inspection: 18 November 2015

• East Lancs Road (within BP Garage)

Last inspection: 8 September 2015

• Speke Retail Park

Last inspection: 15 June 2015

• East Prescot Road, Dovecot

Last inspection: 5 June 2017

• Liverpool John Lennon Airport (Level 2, airside)

Last inspection: 22 April 2015

• Smithdown Road

Last inspection: 4 January 2017

• West Derby Road, Tuebrook

Last inspection: 20 January 2017

• Prescot Street, Islington

Last inspection: 3 January 2018

• Liverpool Shopping Park, Edge Lane

Last inspection: 18 May 2018

• Exchange Street East

Last inspection: 17 January 2018

• County Road

Last inspection: 5 January 2016

• Chapel Lane, Formby

Last inspection: 16 August 2017

• Formby Bypass (within BP Garage)

Last inspection: 11 September 2018

• Cambridge Road, Southport

Last inspection: 6 November 2017

• Eastbank Street, Southport

Last inspection: 8 February 2017

• The Crescent, Thornton

Last inspection: 13 January 2017

• Aintree Racecourse Retail Park

Last inspection: 20 June 2018

• Bootle Strand Shopping Centre

Last inspection: 25 June 2018

• South Road, Waterloo

Last inspection: 9 May 2017

• Liverpool Road, Birkdale

Last inspection: 12 May 2017

• Deyes Lane, Maghull

Last inspection: 1 June 2017

• Hawthorne Road, Litherland

Last inspection: 11 July 2017

• Ocean Plaza, Southport

Last inspection: 10 October 2018

• Telegraph Road, Heswall

Last inspection: 20 May 2018

• Wallasey Village

Last inspection: 24 July 2017

• Wallasey Road, Liscard

Last inspection: 20 December 2017

• Woodchurch Road, Prenton

Last inspection: 27 February 2018

• Townfield Close, Oxton

Last inspection: 30 October 2018

• Banks Road, West Kirby

Last inspection: 15 February 2017

• The Pyramids, Birkenhead

Last inspection: 10 July 2018

• Hoylake Road, Moreton

Last inspection: 25 July 2018

• The Croft Retail Park, Bromborough

Last inspection: 28 January 2018

• Church Road, Tranmere

Last inspection: 4 July 2018

• Market Street, Hoylake

Last inspection: 6 November 2018

• Prescot Cables Shopping Park

Last inspection: 2 November 2017

• Cherryfield Drive, Kirkby

Last inspection: 7 December 2017

• Sherborne Square, Huyton

Last inspection: 30 January 2018

• The Halewood Shopping Centre

Last inspection: 9 May 2017

• The Croft, Stockbridge Village

Last inspection: 8 June 2017

• Lees Road, Knowsley Industrial Park

Last inspection: 21 June 2017

• High Street, Newton-le-Willows

Last inspection: 8 November 2016

A spokeswoman for Subway said: “We’re proud that 99% of our stores in the Merseyside area hold a Food Standards hygiene rating of 3 to 5 stars, with 73% of those being rated as very good with 5 stars.

“All Subway stores are held to high food handling and cleanliness standards, and are subject to monthly inspections to ensure that our strict standards are met.”