A TAKEAWAY which had rotten floorboards and dirty fridges and shelves has been slated by inspectors.

Dhaka Indian Restaurant in Prenton was given a zero star hygiene rating after an inspection on March 9 found contamination risks and poor conditions throughout the premises.

A huge problem at the restaurant was the lack of hot water at the premises.

Inspectors said this presented a "serious cross contamination risk" and was "wholly unacceptable".

It was this problem that appears to have led the takeaway’s owners to proceed with a voluntary closure of business.

But the problem was rectified by March 11, allowing Dhaka Indian Restaurant to reopen.

Inspectors also noted that regular hand washing was not taking place at the time of the inspection.

This is hugely important for food handlers, particularly when preparing foods which are particularly at risk of contamination.

In general, inspectors said the standard of cleaning in "food rooms" at the premises was poor.

One of the most revealing parts of the report was the long list of areas of the premises which were in "poor condition".

The list included:

  • The inside of fridges, their handles and the door seals.
  • Hand contact points such as the sockets, taps and handles.
  • The wall/floor junctions throughout the premises
  • Containers used to hold washing up liquid and scouring pads.
  • The underside of equipment/furniture
  • The painted walls The painted, skirting, door frames and doors to the food rooms
  • The wheels of furniture
  • The painted shelving in the washup/storage area
  • Numerous light switches

As well as this, some of the takeaway’s wooden floorboards were in such a poor state of repair that they were actually rotten in parts.

The rotting damaged the vinyl floor covering.

A further issue at the premises was that open foods were being stored in such a way that there could be cross contamination.

The two key concerns noted by food hygiene inspectors were that not all food was wrapped or covered properly within the fridges and that prepped salad was being held on the drainer of the wash hand basin unit.

A spokesperson for Dhaka Indian Restaurant said the issue with the boiler has now been fixed and the condition of the restaurant all round has been improved.

He said the business is eagerly awaiting a full reinspection, which he said is due as soon as the coronavirus lockdown is over.

The spokesperson was confident that if inspected today his restaurant would get the full five stars, the best possible hygiene rating.

He was also unhappy with the hygiene report and did not feel the zero star score was a fair reflection of the state of his restaurant.