Sheffield chippy with mouldy ceilings and dirty floors slammed by inspectors

A fish and chip shop in Sheffield with “mouldy ceilings” and “dirty” floors has been awarded one of the lowest possible food hygiene ratings.

Lowedges Fish Bar on Lowedges Road was awarded with a one star food hygiene following a routine inspection carried out by Sheffield City Council in December last year, with the food inspector concluding that the establishment requires “major improvement”.

The council inspector’s report, released following a Freedom of Information request, revealed several matters that required “immediate” action. These issues included:

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• Areas throughout the shop needed to be “thoroughly cleaned”. These include “ingrained dirt” on the floor below the frying range, “minor mould growth” and food splattering on the kitchen ceiling. Cobwebs and mould growth were also found on the ceiling of the toilet.

• There was an absence of a written food safety management system and any monitoring records, such as daily temperature checks of the refrigerator temperature and freezer. These documents must be used to identify where risks to food safety could occur, and how these risks will be controlled.

• At the time of the inspection staff were not aware of the correct temperature for the refrigerated storage of high-risk food. The inspector added: “This indicates a training need. High risk refrigerated food must be stored at or below 8C.”

• Some of the chopping boards were in a “worn condition”. The inspector said: “These boards must be discarded or replaced immediately. Food contact surfaces must be kept in good condition, smooth and washable.”

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The inspector also noted that management needed to thoroughly clean a number of areas, including the rear yard. The inspector wrote: “Excess bags of waste, waste cardboard and rotting potatoes were present in the rear yard. This is not acceptable and will attract pests to the premises. The refuse must be removed, and the yard must be cleaned and disinfected immediately.”

The FOI response also stated that the inspector had identified four gaps and holes in the building which were “sufficient to allow the ingress of rodents”. The inspector said these must be sealed.

In their report, the inspector stated that the food safety management issues required “immediate attention” with any structural works needing completion within six weeks. Lowedges Fish Bar is currently awaiting another inspection and has been approached for comment.

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