Towns where 1 in 3 eateries are so dirty they put diners at risk

EATING out has become a health lottery in some parts of the country.

As many as one in three food businesses do not meet hygiene standards – and in the worst areas, this rises to two in three. The Which? consumer group found the worrying results after looking at hygiene reports across 386 local councils.

‘In 20 local authority areas the chances of someone buying from a food business that isn’t meeting hygiene requirements was as high as one in three,’ it said. ‘In the lowestrated area, Hyndburn, this rose to nearly two in every three outlets.’

Hyndburn in Lancashire has a population of more than 80,000 and includes Accrington, Oswaldtwistle and Great Harwood.

This was the area where Megan Lee, 15, died on New Year’s Day when she suffered severe anaphylactic shock after eating a takeaway from the Royal Spice curry house in Oswaldtwistle. It was shut down days later over an ‘infestation of mice’.

Two men associated with the restaurant have been arrested on suspicion of causing manslaughter as a result of gross negligence.

The Which? research named Birmingham the second worst area for hygiene. It said that of 8,071 food outlets in the city, ‘ only 59 per cent of medium to high-risk businesses were found to be broadly compliant with hygiene rules’. Four London areas – Newham, Ealing, Lewisham and Camden – were in the bottom ten.

The highest-ranking local authority areas included Erewash in Derbyshire, Eden, centred on Penrith, Cumbria, Brentwood in Essex, West Dorset and Sunderland.

The Food Standards Agency and councils rate food businesses from 0, which means urgent improvement is necessary, to 5, which is very good. But outlets are not required to display these ratings, keeping customers in the dark about risks.

Public spending cuts mean many councils do not have the inspectors needed to carry out hygiene checks.

As a result, the work is being passed to private contractors paid by the businesses they are inspecting. Which? fears this could put the commercial interests of food businesses ahead of protecting the public.

Alex Neill, of Which?, said: ‘People expect their food to be safe, but there is clearly work to be done.

‘The Government and regulators need to ensure there is a robust, independent system of enforcement.’

The Local Government Association, which speaks for councils, said the responsibility for keeping people safe lies with food businesses.

But its spokesman, Councillor Simon Blackburn, added: ‘Despite significant funding pressures, councils are doing everything possible to maintain checks in this area.’

‘Keeping customers in the dark’