A York takeaway has been found to have committed nine breaches of food hygiene rules, according to city council officials.
Dhillon’s Bridge Fisheries in Intake Avenue, Burton Stone Lane, Clifton, received a one-star food hygiene rating, meaning 'major improvement necessary', following an inspection in August.
The venue offers fish and chips, pizza, burgers and kebabs.
Customer feedback on TripAdvisor gives it a 3.5 star rating out of five based on 18 reviews, rating it 74 out of 112 in York for fast food and 515 out of 573 for restaurants.
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Just Eat gives the takeaway a 3.8 star rating out of five based on 44 reviews but Dhillon’s own website gives it 4.3 stars based on 385 reviews.
However, the Food Standards Agency website, which uses data supplied by City of York Council, reports ‘improvement necessary’ for hygienic food handling, ‘improvement necessary’ for cleanliness and condition of the facilities and building, and ‘major improvement necessary’ for management of food safety.
A report by York hygiene inspectors lists eight breaches requiring immediate attention and a further matter where the business was given a month to comply.
Breaches included kitchen staff not washing hands after coming in from outside and the defrosting of food not being carefully controlled. The wash basin in the food counter area was obstructed by a batter container and food debris.
There was also a cross contamination risk from raw sausages stored in the fridge next to and touching bottles of milk.
Soap and paper towels were not provided at the wash hand basin in the front servery for the cleaning and hygienic drying of hands.
Inspectors also noted a rear yard full of items including machinery, prams, a trampoline, refuse, food debris, a carpet and washing.
The business had been warned this area needed to be cleared in January 2022.
A rear garage food room contained suitcases and a pushchair, while bins were “overflowing and full of flies".
The report said operators must use a documented food safety management system. This had been discussed with the business during the previous two inspections in January 2022 and November 2020.
Noting insufficient record-keeping, it continued: “To date this does not seem to have been done and I am, therefore, advising you that if on future visits you are found not to be complying with the HACCP (hazard analysis and critical control point) requirement a Hygiene Improvement Notice will be served.”
Furthermore: “It was apparent from discussions during my inspection that the level of food hygiene awareness amongst your staff was inadequate, for example no awareness of handwashing between clean and dirty tasks. No hand washing was seen at the time of the inspection.”
Matt Boxall, head of public protection at City of York Council, told The Press: “Food hygiene standards are essential for customers to understand the levels they can expect from businesses. They take into account multiple factors, which include cleaning standards, food handling practices, operational standards, and essential paperwork. Ratings can be checked online at http://ratings.food.gov.uk/ .
“On this occasion food safety and hygiene standards were assessed and the business was awarded a food hygiene rating of one. Food hygiene ratings are calculated by officers in line with Food Standards Agency guidance.
“We offer pre-hygiene inspection services for businesses who want to improve their score. These are entirely voluntary and most businesses who use this service inform us it is helpful. Any business wishing to use this service can contact us at public.protection@york.gov.uk."
Dhillon’s Bridge Fisheries did not respond to repeated requests for comment from The Press.
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