RODENT droppings were found at a Hereford restaurant handed a one-star food hygiene rating in a visit by food hygiene inspectors. 

A large bucket of raw lamb was also stored uncovered on the floor in the storeroom of Razbari, resulting in the Indian restaurant scoring a one-star hygiene rating, meaning that urgent improvement was necessary. 

Releasing its hygiene report to the Hereford Times following a freedom of information request, Environment Health officials at Herefordshire Council said that at the time of the initial inspection in January, rodent droppings were found in the right-hand side of the storage area behind the deep freezers and along the back floor and wall junction.

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The report did add that the droppings had been removed when inspectors revisited the Eign Street restaurant, and the area had been thoroughly cleared, disinfected and painted in some places. 

Hereford Times: Rodent droppings were found at Razbari, Hereford

The restaurant was also told there was evidence of pest activity in the storeroom where foodstuffs were stored, with no written record in the diary to confirm that any additional monitoring had been implemented. 

Other defects highlighted include: 

  • Cooked rice being stored on the racking in the left-hand side storeroom and measured at a temperature of 10C. To prevent toxins forming in the cooked rice, it should be kept hot at above 63C or cooled quickly and stored in the fridge at/or below 8C before being reheated.
  • The ice scoop was being stored within the ice machine, posing a risk of contamination
  • The exterior surfaces of the containers and lids storing spices/ingredients were very sticky and not in a clean condition 
  • There was a gap around the door of the outside storage shed, which could allow access to pests
  • The floor underneath equipment in the food preparation area and the storage area was in a dirty condition
  • The seal behind the wash hand basin and the double sink had blackened and perished in places making effective cleaning of this area difficult
  • The flooring in the food preparation doorway was in disrepair
  • The skirting board/lower wall underneath the double sink was in disrepair
  • The light switches and electrical plugs were in a dirty condition 
  • The food safety management system, Safer Food Better Business, had not been recently reviewed
  • The Environment Health department had not received a new food premises registration form when the business was taken over

The restaurant was also told that staff know how to access information about allergens and how it can be relayed to customers accurately. 

Razbari has not responded to the Hereford Times' request for a response.