Zero-star hygiene rating for pizza shop
DIRTY dishcloths, filthy forks and mouldy shelves were all on the menu at a North Shields pizza shop.
Council inspectors were so horrified by the conditions inside Pizza Cafe, they served management a special of their own – a zero star food hygiene score. Now an exclusive report has revealed the grease-stained conditions which inspectors feared were turning the takeaway into a bacteria breeding ground.
Pizza dough was stored inside black bin bags, while a fridge – kept in a shed – had “mouldaffected shelves”.
“There was only one set of tongs at the grill that was used both for raw and ready-to-eat chicken,” adds the North Tyneside Council report.
Management at the West Percy Street takeaway, which still holds the zero rating, said some of the issues were down to “a lack of budget”.
“At the time I accept it was dirty, but we put most of them right,” claimed manager Abpin Mohamdy. “We have corrected the majority of them. But unfortunately when Covid-19 hit us, it clashed with the reinspection and left us with that report you are holding in your hands.
“But any inspection you have that isn’t in a four or five-star hotel, you will find a few issues and this has left us with a bad reputation.”
He admitted that he has not yet displayed the zero-star rating in the shop window.
However despite his claims that the problems have been fixed, the report, obtained via the Freedom of Information Act, outlines multiple hygiene failings following the March inspection.
They include:
A “filthy” toilet floor, while surfaces around the shop were deemed “grubby”.
The dirty rear yard covered in “grease and food debris”.
Chicken and salad left outside the fridge – increasing the risk of bacteria.
Bosses were also forced to throw away a “mould-affected” freezer as it was in such a shoddy state.
And it wasn’t just hygiene that sparked the zero rating.
Paperwork was not up to scratch.
A diary of checks, which should have been completed daily, hadn’t been filled in for over three months.
As of going to press, there are currently three North Tyneside establishments with a zero food hygiene score. also