A FRIED chicken restaurant has been rated zero for food hygiene.

Jaqk's Chicken and Chips Co, in Foregate Street, Worcester, is now the only business in the city to have the unfavourable rating, the lowest possible score out of a maximum of five.

Health and safety inspectors have called for 'urgent improvement' after the inspection on Thursday, March 2.

But the new owner of Jaqk's says he has taken over the business since the inspection took place and is working with authorities to make improvements – saying he is now aiming for a rating of five stars.

The Food Standards Agency said the takeaway requires 'major improvement' in the hygienic handling and safe management of food.

Its report noted issues such as dirty knives, filthy fridges, staff without food hygiene training, no antibacterial soap by the handwash basin, no date labels on food in the fridge and that raw chicken was stored above lettuce and cheese.

The new owner of Jaqk's, Imran Ahmed, 36, took over the business on Tuesday, March 28.

He said: "We were totally unaware when we took over that the Food Standards Agency had inspected it and given bad points to the takeaway.

"We want to let people know that we are looking to get to five stars. We are not happy with a zero rating.

"Since we took over we have made lots of improvements which is backed by Worcestershire Regulatory Services."

Helen Cameron, senior practitioner in food health & safety for Worcestershire Regulatory Services, said: "The business has now been sold on to new owners, who have already made many of the improvements needed.

"They have given an undertaking to make further improvements.

"The business was given a zero rating for food hygiene because it did not meet the required standards in a number of areas.

"There was no food safety management system in place. This is a legally required written set of rules setting out how food will be prepared and how hygiene levels will be maintained.

"Raw chicken was stored above ready-to-eat fresh lettuce and cheese, so it was possible blood could contaminate other food.

"The owner of Jaqk’s responded quickly to our report and offered to work with us to raise standards."

She added that environmental health officers will return for another inspection soon.

The inspection report also stated that the cleanliness and condition of the building and facilities requires improvement.

The report added that major improvement is needed in food handling – which includes the preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage of food – and food safety, such as making sure that staff are aware of food safety and that inspectors believes standards will be maintained in the future.

HOW DO OTHER BUSINESSES RATE FOR FOOD HYGEINE?

THERE are 673 businesses in Worcester which have food hygiene ratings listed on the Food Standards Agency website.

The only Worcester businesses which have a rating of one out of five – 'major improvement necessary' – are Chicks, in The Cross, Watan Supermarket, in Cole Hill, Wing Sing, in Brickfields Road and Dragons Den, in Kilbury Drive

Chicks and Watan Supermarket were approached for comment but had not responded at the time of going to press, no-one from Wing Sing was available for comment and Dragons Den has closed down.

Another five businesses in Worcester have been given a food hygiene rating of two - 'improvement necessary'.

Fifty-seven businesses have a rating of three (satisfactory), 78 are rated four (good) and 355 have the highest rating of five (very good).