A BOURNEMOUTH restaurant voluntarily closed for two days after rats were sighted near to an outside food storage area.

Environmental Health Officers visited Forest Spice restaurant in Boscombe and found evidence of a rat infestation to the rear of the property with droppings found in the rear storage room.

Environmental Health Manager Louise Jones said: "The standard of cleanliness in the kitchen required immediate improvement. All perishable foods were disposed of during the visit and the business owner took the decision to voluntarily close the business in the light of the officer’s findings."

She said that officers visited the business yesterday and found that the cleanliness has been improved.

"The restaurant is now open but the rear food storage area will need to remain closed until the rodent problem is removed," she said.

When the Daily Echo visited Forest Spice they spoke to a private pest control officer who said she had been baiting the premises and no bait had been taken for six months indicating, she said, that any infestation was not serious.