DINERS might as well toss a coin when deciding on which restaurant to use when it comes to food hygiene, according to a study by consumer organisation Which?

And the latest figures submitted to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) by local authorities show quite a range of hygiene standards and enforcement in Worcestershire.

Redditch comes out with the worst figures showing that 92.7 per cent of high to medium risk food establishments are broadly compliant with hygiene law. The figures also show the proportion of rated food premises in the Redditch area is 78.3 per cent and that 79.4 per cent of planned interventions were carried out.

In neighbouring Wychavon there was a better performance showing 97.8 per cent of medium to high risk businesses complied with hygiene law while the proportion of rated food premises was 94 per cent and 64.9 per cent of planned interventions were done.

While there are no figures for Worcester City, Herefordshire came top overall for the best food hygiene ratings and premises with ratings and interventions by the local authority in this area.

A Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS) spokesman said: “We are very happy that across WRS over 90 per cent of our premises fall into Food Hygiene Rating System (FRHS) Levels 3-5 which is satisfactory (broadly compliant) and serve safe food.

“The remaining 10 per cent i.e. those rated FHRS Level 0-2 are visited regularly by an officer until food hygiene standards improve. All our food business ratings can be checked on the FSA website www.food.gov.uk/ratings. We upload visit data weekly.”

Which? compiled its ranking after looking at the latest data submitted by 398 UK local authorities to the Food Standards Agency.

It looked at three criteria - the proportion of premises ranked as high or medium risk in a local authority that were compliant with food hygiene requirements, the percentage of premises that had been rated for risk, and the proportion of inspections and other follow ups that were carried out by local authority inspectors.

A food business should be given a risk rating when it opens which is determined by factors such as the type of establishment, how many people it serves and the competence of the management.

The rating determines how often the premises are inspected, with highest-risk premises visited every six months and those considered the lowest risk visited every five years.

Businesses are ultimately responsible for complying with hygiene rules but local authorities are tasked with enforcing compliance.

A survey by the watchdog to coincide with the study found 96 per cent of people think it is important that local authorities ensure compliance with food hygiene rules.

Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said: "Our research reveals a shocking postcode lottery on food hygiene where in some places you may as well toss a coin before deciding which restaurant to trust with your health.

"Consumers expect local authorities to check that food businesses in their area comply with hygiene standards and rigorously enforce the rules.

"Local authorities should do more to make the best use of limited resources, respond effectively to risks across the food supply chain and ensure consumers are adequately protected wherever they live."

Which? has produced a map which shows all the local authorities and how they are ranked in the UK, which can be found at http://consumerinsight.which.co.uk/maps/hygiene