A FOOD hygiene inspection discovered rodent droppings and dirty fridges at a Thai restaurant in Hereford.

A food hygiene safety report, which has just been made available to view from a freedom of information request, was carried out by Herefordshire Council at Thai on Wye in West Street last September.

This resulted in a food hygiene rating of zero, which is the worst rating and means the restaurant is the only one in the county with a zero rating.

The council report said a mouse was seen running behind the drinks chiller underneath the serving counter.

Inspectors then found rodent droppings behind this counter, in the food preparation kitchen, on the stairs and in the basement food storage area.

The report said: “The live rodent infestation posed an imminent risk of injury to health with significant risk of contamination to food products intended for human consumption.”

The report said the restaurant owner must immediately “pest proof” the premises to stop rodent entry.

At the time of the report last September it said that “no sufficient action had been taken to manage the problem.”

Rotting and gnawed food in a box under the stairs had gone unnoticed, the report said.

The restaurant was also told the plastic container storing prawn crackers, the inside of the fridge where carrots were stored, and the inside of another fridge where cucumbers were stored, were “very dirty” and must be cleaned immediately.

Other areas in the restaurant were also described as “very dirty” including the surfaces of shelving in the kitchen and the trays under the range cooker.

The restaurant was given an overall score of 60.

A score of more than 50 results in a zero food hygiene rating, which is the worst a restaurant can be given and means urgent improvement is necessary.

Once the restaurant has completed the work required by the officer they may wish to request a re-visit.

A council spokesman said: “Herefordshire Council conducted a routine food hygiene visit at Thai on Wye on 6 September 2018; this was a routine visit and not prompted by a complaint or any received information.”

When a premises is poorly rated the environmental health officer will determine when a re-visit is required, this will depend on the severity and number of works required. In the case of a zero rated premises many re-visits will be required. During these re-visits the food hygiene rating of the premises will remain the same despite any improvements that may have been undertaken.

When the restaurant was contacted for a comment, they said they did not wish to comment at this time.