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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Rebecca Lockwood & Saffron Otter

Inside Blackpool's Britannia Metropole Hotel's filthy kitchen with food debris and splattered doors

Blackpool Council has issued grim pictures of inside the Metropole Hotel in Blackpool after it was slammed for poor food hygiene.

The hotel, on Princess Parade, has been accommodating asylum seekers since September.

But an inspection carried out on August 26 found that it needed to make major improvements in its food hygiene practices.

Blackpool Council operates the National Food Hygiene Rating Scheme - which helps consumers make informed decisions about where they eat and buy their food, LancsLive reports.

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Establishments receive a rating from 0 - where urgent improvement is needed - to 5 - which means the food hygiene standards are very good.

The Metropole Hotel's restaurant received a score of 1 - 'Major Improvement Necessary' - due to failing to ensure food preparation and service areas were kept clean.

Food debris was found on the stairs and in the cutlery drawers (Blackpool Council)

The report shows that the hotel must examine all their food items and identify those with allergens because, at the time of the council's visit, there was no allergen information available for any food served in the restaurant.

They also noted three health and safety concerns. Various taps in the ladies toilets were loose and needed securing; the front to a gaming machine had been removed for maintenance and was not replaced or barred to prevent tampering and risk of injury; and the third-floor window next to the 'X' storeroom had a crack in it.

Dirt and food debris found on kitchen equipment (Blackpool Council)

The Metropole Hotel failed to comply with the hygiene regulations of Food Safety and Hygiene England Regulations 2013, the report added, and was ordered to thoroughly clean and disinfect the food premises, as well as implement an effective cleaning schedule for these areas.

Among the list of items that led to the 'Major Improvement Necessary' rating was food debris in front of the second fridge in the kitchen, along with dirt on the kitchen radio, soap dispenser and can opener.

Dirt and food debris found on kitchen equipment (Blackpool Council)

The additional restaurant used for staff meals needed to be cleaned down after use, as well as the dirt of the door from the kitchen to the staff restaurant.

Blackpool Council reported 'significant' pooling of water on the floor of the pot wash area, and continued to list dirt in the following areas: first freezer; door into the restaurant; kitchen door; outside of the water urns; crates in the hot drink area; in the under-the-stairs walk-in freezer; downstairs flooring; the second walk-in freezer; the underside of the hand towel dispenser and the taps of the hand washbasin downstairs.

Dirt was photographed on the doors to the restaurant (Blackpool Council)

An out-of-use trolley in the downstairs area was also reported as dirty, with an accumulation of food debris.

Food debris was also found on the stairs and in the cutlery drawers.

At the time of the visit, it was observed that as a food business operator, the Metropole Hotel failed to ensure that all articles, fittings and equipment of which food come into contact with were effectively cleaned.

The Brittania-owned hotel has been ordered to thoroughly clean and disinfect the food premises, as well as again implement an effective cleaning schedule.

A build-up of carbon was observed outside of the cooking pans, as well as an accumulation of old dough in the dough mixer.

The inspection also found meat residue on a 'clean' meat slicer, which could cross-contaminate across foods.

Commenting when the report went out, a spokesperson for the Home Office said: "All the hotels the Home Office uses must meet relevant health and safety legislation and provide their latest health and safety risk assessment.

A piece of equipment in the hot drink area (Blackpool Council)

"Serco have confirmed that kitchens in the hotel have had significant improvements made and have been reassessed.

"Britannia have had independent audits conducted on kitchens with high scores provided, with a further audit due next week.

"Our Nationality and Borders bill will fix this broken system to deter these dangerous and illegal crossings."

Britannia Hotels has still not responded to a request for comment since the report was published.

To get the latest email updates from the Manchester Evening News, click here.

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