Greene King pub turns rating around after former ‘rat infestation’

By Alice Leader

- Last updated on GMT

Rodent rampage: pub turns a one-star rating into four
Rodent rampage: pub turns a one-star rating into four

Related tags Greene king Hygiene

A Greene King pub hopes its new four-star rating will “restore the local community’s confidence” after being under investigation due to a “rat infestation”.

The Queens Head pub has bumped up its food hygiene rating to a four after it was scored one star from its visit by the public health watchdog in June.

According to the Southern Daily Echo,​ the kitchen was in operation despite positive sightings of rodent infestations, posing a risk of food contamination.

But following the pub’s inspection on 14 October, environmental health chiefs scored the pub a new rating of four out of five.

Taking it seriously

A spokesperson for the Queens Head, in Eastleigh, Hampshire, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded a four-star rating in our latest inspection and hope this has restored the local community’s confidence in the pub and the quality of food and service that we provide.”

The re-inspection showed the pub had met with legal obligations and showed good standards of hygiene.

The spokesman continued: “We take our food hygiene extremely seriously and we have completed a significant amount of work behind the scenes to address the points raised by the local authority at the time of the last inspection in June.”

The pub currently holds a three out of five score on TripAdvisor with 84 reviews rating the premises as ‘excellent’.

Steps to eradicate pests

Anderson Food Hygiene, an award-winning training, auditing and consultancy business for the hospitality sector, told The Morning Advertiser​​ that many landlords and pub owners are failing to take the required steps to eradicate pests in their properties.

Managing director and food hygiene expert Sylvia Anderson said: “Here at Anderson Food Hygiene, we see many landlords and pub owners not adhering to some simple steps to eradicate or prevent pests within their own pubs or using a cheaper pest control company, which can result in bad publicity.

“What we would recommend is for pub owners or landlords to take a preventative or proactive approach to pests rather than try to control a problem. The key is to prevent it in the first place.”

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