A PUB in Berwick St James received its second zero food standards rating this time following a rat problem with the landlord telling the Journal 'the pub had to be closed for a few days.'

The inspection at the Boot Inn located in the High Street, at Berwick St James took place on Friday, May 26 and the Food Standards Agency found that in all categories 'major improvements' were needed.  

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Landlord Michael Doldon said: “We had a rodent problem and that is why we had a zero rating. We were closed for a few days while the rodent issue was solved.”

The report stated that hygienic food handling needed to be improved including preparation, cooking, reheating, cooling and storage along with cleanliness and pest control to ensure good hygiene.

Read more: The Boot Inn food rating results

Food safety management was also needed to ensure the right systems or checks were in place to ensure that the food served was safe to eat. The Food Safety Officer needed to be sure that standards would be maintained in the future.

The pub received its first zero rating report on Friday, November 18 where the Food Standards Agency found "major improvement" was needed with hygienic food handling and the management of food safety.