BOSSES at a Wirral restaurant say they are "bitterly disappointed" after they were handed a one-out-of-five food hygiene rating.

The Quadrant in Hoylake was given the score after assessment on November 25 2021, the Food Standards Agency's website shows.

The rating scheme gives businesses a rating from five to zero which is displayed at their premises and online so customers can make more informed choices about where to buy and eat food.

Five is top of the scale, meaning the hygiene standards are very good and fully comply with the law while a zero rating is at the bottom of the scale, meaning urgent improvement is necessary.

A rating of one means "major improvement is necessary" with The Quadrant's inspection particularly critical of the restaurant's management of food safety.

The inspection also called for improvements to be made to the premises' hygienic food handling and the overall cleanliness and condition of its facilities and building.

Previously known as The Portrait House, The Quadrant occupies a listed building close to Hoylake train station.

Co-owner David Williams said: "We are bitterly disappointed to receive such a rating, especially at such a difficult time for our industry and we are eager for them to return so that we can be awarded our five star rating.

"The inspection happened on the worst day possible with temporary staff in the kitchen and a visit the day before or day after would have meant 60 per cent of the points on the report would not have been present.

"However, there are structural issues, such as holes in flooring and floor wall junction issues that would have always resulted in a one star rating based on the council's point scoring system. Unfortunately our bank balance was empty and we are running on loans to survive.

"Having said that I have taken on further debt and took the decision to close for two weeks and spent the Christmas period fixing all issues so that the restaurant will reopen in January operating at a five star level with no more temporary staff."

Of Wirral's 276 restaurants, cafes and canteens with ratings, 223 (81 per cent) have ratings of five and just two have zero ratings.