Sweet and sour sauce kept in a BIN in the middle of the kitchen floor and grease stains on the wall - why this Chinese takeaway was given a one-star food hygiene rating

Yummy Chinese Takeaway, on Eddison Road, Washington, has been ordered to improve its standards following an inspection by Sunderland City Council earlier this year.

A report, obtained by the Echo under Freedom of Information laws, criticises the takeaway's method of storing sweet and sour and hot chilli sauces, with the former found stored in a bin on the floor wth a measuring jug floating in it.

Inspectors ordered that staff keep the sauce in “containers intended for the storage of food” and also recommended that it was refrigerated.

The report added: “The jug should not be stored in the sauce due to contamination risks from the handle.”

During the inspection, opened containers of hot chilli sauce were also found not stored in the fridge, as indicated on the packet.

Other finds during the visit included a lack of hygienic hand-drying facilities, a grease stain on the upper wall and missing filters in the takeaway’s extractor.

The inspector also ordered staff to clean the kitchen’s electronic fly killer and take part in allergen training so accurate information can be provided to customers.

It is a legal requirement to remedy these discoveries to secure compliance and stop further action needing to be taken by the Environmental Health officer.

Recommendations included cleaning staff uniforms on a hot wash in a washing machine, checking the core temperature of hot foods to ensure they have been properly cooked through.

According to the Food Standards Agency, Yummy Chinese Takeaway on 6, Eddison Road, Washington, was last inspected on Friday, May 10 and awarded a rating of one, which means major improvement is necessary.

When inspected, businesses are given a rating between zero and five to help customers make choices about where to eat and buy food.

Five means that hygiene standards are very good, four means hygiene stands are good, three means hygiene standards are generally satisfactory and two means some improvement is necessary.

The lowest score, zero, means that urgent improvement is required.

For more information, visit the FSA website here.