A HAMPSHIRE restaurant reported to have rats has been slammed by a public health watchdog and given the worst hygiene rating possible.

Moja Indian Restaurant has received a zero out of five-star score following an inspection by environmental health chiefs.

Hygiene inspectors who visited the Sarisbury Green restaurant had received complaints of rats scurrying about in its loft.

Visiting on February 13, they found that cleanliness throughout the eatery in Holly Close was very poor.

The inspectors from the environmental health partnership of Fareham Borough Council found walls, doors, floors, ceilings, light switches and equipment were all dirty.

Meanwhile, the extraction fan at the restaurant was dripping with grease and there were stains on walls, window frames and on top of a fridge.

They found poppadoms stacked on dirty greasy cardboard, and nothing in the fridges was dated.

This made it “impossible to effectively manage stock and ensure foods were used within the use by dates”.

Inspectors had “significant concerns” about electrical safety finding sockets stuck together with tape. In the back yard, a drain had recently flooded and there was debris strewn about by the back door. An outside store had mouldy walls and there was an inch of water on the floor where food containers and open food were kept.

Inspectors have told management to check for evidence of rats and pest-proof holes in the ceiling and near the back door.

According to management at Moja, the main reason for its poor score was due to its outside store flooding after heavy rain.

They claim environmental health inspectors found no evidence of pests following another inspection on February 26 and that they are awaiting an updated hygiene score.

They claim to be taking extra care with gloves and antibacterial products due to the coronavirus crisis. The restaurant has claimed it had a new rating but the council confirmed it was not the case.