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Little Dessert Shop told to improve after one star food hygiene rating

A popular sweet-treat store in Wolverhampton city centre has been given a one star food hygiene rating after a problem with pest control.

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Cafe by Little Dessert Shop, which has recently been renamed, in Queen Street, Wolverhampton

The Little Dessert Shop on Queen Street has received the second lowest rating and ordered that 'major improvements' are needed.

Some of the food served up for customers

The store, that opened in 2015, has been a popular destination for customers enjoying sweet desserts such as waffles and cakes.

Now, they've been told improvements are needed in food handling and preparation as well as the cleanliness of the facilities and plans to tackle pests.

The food hygiene report also states that they must better ensure food is safe to eat.

A council spokesman confirmed that at the time, the shop was suffering from a rat infestation that plagued the business and forced them to temporarily close the downstairs seating area of the store.

A Wolverhampton Council spokesman said: “Officers inspected the Little Dessert Shop on Queen Street, Wolverhampton on 28 September 2018 and rated the business a Food Hygiene Rating of one.

“During the visit, conditions were found to be unsatisfactory and the business agreed to close part of the business voluntarily.

“Officers revisited the premises on several occasions following the closure to monitor the situation. Once the officers were happy with the improvements, the voluntary closure was lifted and the business re-opened the following week.

“The Council is working closely with the business through its ‘Trade with Confidence’ service to educate the importance of food safety and to improve their food hygiene rating.

“The council encourages members of the public to check food hygiene ratings on the Food Standards Agency website to ensure they are confident they are eating at a restaurant complying with food safety regulations.”

Manager Craig Whitehouse, on behalf of The Little Dessert Shop, said: "This rating was given due to pest issues which were caused by neighbouring buildings on Queen Street and the alley ways connecting them.

"Wolverhampton Council is aware of this matter as it has been a problem since building and road works began in the area.

"This issue only occurred in the downstairs area of the store and not on the shop floor.

"Once it was highlighted there was an issue with pests the store was closed immediately as many of our customers would recall.

"It was then decided to renovate the whole store therefore, a full refurbishment was carried out with a new layout and furnishings.

"During this renovation, precautions were put in place to avoid this problem from occurring again.

"Since the refurbishment, the City of Wolverhampton Council has confirmed that the pest control issues has been resolved and are fully satisfied with the actions taken to avoid any future problems.

"We are working with ‘trade with confidence’ a body of Wolverhampton Council that supports businesses to maintain high food and hygiene standards.

"I would like to reiterate that we take great pride in our food quality and hygiene standards, striving to achieve the best standards as reflected by the rest of our network."