A SHOCKING 14 premises in Fordingbridge, Ringwood and Verwood and the surrounding area have been judged to need “major improvement” to bring their food hygiene up to scratch – including a children’s nursery, a community centre and an award-winning farm shop.

The premises were all inspected by the Food Standards Agency and given time to sort out any issues raised before the results, graded from zero to 5, were published.

The agency inspects premises regularly to ensure the way food is stored, prepared and served is safe.

And after an inspection of the Coach House Day Nursery in Gorley in January inspectors gave it a one rating.

The Verwood’s Hub’s Bistro was also given a one after an inspection in November.

Award-winning butcher’s, the Crow Farm Shop, which was inspected in February, also got a one.

One of the restaurants given a zero rating last year, Venice in Verwood’s Ringwood Road, has managed to scrape in a one rating at a second inspection in October.

The other zero scoring restaurant, Indigo in Ringwood’s High Street, has now achieved a rating of three - generally satisfactory.

And the Al Trullo Italian restaurant in Christchurch Road, rated one in March, was soon after the initial shock inspection, awarded the top mark of five for cleanliness.

New Wong’s Garden Chinese takeaway in Salisbury Street, Fordingbridge, hasn’t improved its one rating.

Now other premises have joined them in scoring a one rating, including The White Buck Inn in Burley, inspected in January, Ringwood Conservative Club, inspected last July and the New Queen in Avon, inspected in October.

The Compasses in Damerham got a one this February, The Stables Tearoom at the Garden Shop in Hyde got a one in July last year and Woodgreen’s Horse and Groom got a one in November.

The Karamoor in Three Legged Cross got a one rating last May.

Just one restaurant appears to have been given a zero rating - “urgent improvement necessary” - within the Forest Journal’s circulation area – Elizabeth’s Bakery in Bransgore, which was inspected in September.

Of the rest of the premises we wrote about last year, Belinda’s Bakery in Ringwood Road, Verwood, and Ringwood Road Stores in Verwood, which both got a one rating when inspected last year, have not been re-inspected.

The Co-op in Fordingbridge, having scored just two last year, is now up to four, and the St Leonards Hotel, rated one early last year, got a four rating in October. The nearby Woodman has also shot up from one to four following re-inspection.

Verwood’s Albion Inn has gone from a one rating to a two - “improvement necessary”.

The pub Finns and club The Metro Lounge in Market Place, Ringwood, were both rated one in February last year, and Braeside Bowling Club in St Leonards was rated one in January last year, but those premises no longer appear on the agency’s ratings.