Mould on bowls, ceilings and walls; uncovered food stored on the floor; and a poor standard of hygiene — an Indian restaurant on the Isle of Wight has been slapped with a damning cleanliness rating.
Following an inspection at the end of January, Eastern Eye, on Sandown High Street was given a one out of five ranking and told ‘major improvement’ is necessary by the Isle of Wight council.
The restaurant has been contacted for comment.
Deep clean required
During the inspection, environmental health officers found various areas required a full deep clean.
One food store floor was dirty, with a build-up of grime, and the kitchen floor was dirty in places, including under equipment.
A report said food storage containers were ‘very dirty’ around the rims and had not been cleaned or disinfected.
Mouldy food bowls
Plastic food bowls were in bad condition with mouldy handles, and food in a partly-open vegetable tray was being stored on a dirty floor in the food store.
Part of the ceiling in the main kitchen was damaged, and so was the dry store roof which was letting in water and dripping on the floor, the inspection found.
More mould and water damage
Areas of ceiling in and outside the dry store were covered in mould, as were the walls in another food store.
Shelves in a food store were black with water damage and mould.
Food not dated
The report went on to say that a large amount of food in the fridge had no date labels and while inspectors were told the food had been prepared that day and would be disposed of at the end of service, some remained.
Vegetable samosas were stored in a freezer designated explicitly for raw meat but were removed as it was said to be an error while sorting a recent delivery.
Some external doors were ill-fitting leaving potential access points for pests open.
Handwashing obstructed
The main kitchen’s wash hand was obstructed from use as large units were in front of it, which discouraged and prevented food handlers from washing their hands.
A plug on a food mixer was taped together and wires were exposed from the top. Inspectors were going to prohibit and seize the machine but it was taken away for repairs to be made safe.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
