Find out which food outlets have ZERO hygiene ratings

Four businesses have the lowest scores of 'zero' in the national Food Hygiene Rating Scheme and 80 have a score of one, which means they require 'major improvement' in the inspections which span the last two years.

The businesses rated as zero were: Desi Pizza, Cape Hill, Smethwick, last inspected in April this year; Medina Food Stores, on Birmingham Road, Oldbury; Pak Supermarket (Cape Hill) Ltd in Cape Hill Retail Centre, Cape Hill and Station Shop in Cradley Heath train station, on Forge Lane. Inspectors look at how hygienically the food was handled and prepared. They also looked at the condition of buildings. The standards are then rated on a scale. At the bottom of the scale is '0' – this means urgent improvement is required. At the top of the scale is '5'.

Owner of Pak Supermarket, Khadam Mohammed, said: "Rubbish has been dumped at the back of my business which has caused a rat infestation and that has led to the rating." Station Shop was last inspected in April last year, but it has since been taken over by new owners. Owner Muhemmad Azeen, said: "Nobody has come to inspect the shop since I have been here. The old owners used to cook at the shop but we don't cook anything. It (the zero rating) would have been for the previous owners. I took over in October last year." It is believed Medina Food Stores has also been taken over by new owners since the rating and a new rating is expected soon. No one was available for comment from Medina or Desi Pizza. Health bosses praised the majority of food premises in the borough – with more than 830 getting the top 'very good' rating.

Nine per cent of the total 1,879 businesses required improvement and 42 per cent, 834 premises, achieved the top rung for hygiene.

Councillor Preet Gill, Sandwell Council's cabinet member for public health and protection, said: "We carry out unannounced visits to see if they have carried out any improvements."

A further 398 food premises in Sandwell were rated as 'good, 482 were rated as 'satisfactory.' Eighty-three premises received a score of two.