A supermarket on Linthorpe Road has been slapped with the lowest food hygiene rating.

The Co-op has been given a zero rating and ordered to make urgent improvements. Council inspectors will have provided a number of changes the store must implement.

The supermarket said it is disappointed with the rating and steps have already been taken to improve hygiene standards. It will be able to request another visit by inspectors so it can try to improve its score.

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The Linthorpe Road store will need to take urgent action to tackle the substandard cleanliness and condition of the facilities and the building to ensure good food hygiene.

Major changes are necessary regarding the systems or checks that are in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat and that staff know about food safety. The store will also have to improve its hygiene processes, which include the storage of food.

A spokesperson for Co-op said: “Co-op goes to great lengths to ensure the cleanliness and hygiene of all its stores, making sure we meet the highest standards is a number one priority.

“We take pride in meeting those high standards and are disappointed with the rating received by our store on this occasion – which does not meet the previous ‘excellent’ rating awarded to the store. Steps have been taken to ensure our usual high standards are met, and the store is trading and open to serve the community.”

At the time of writing, there are just eight other zero-rated food businesses in Middlesbrough. These are Adulis (Gresham Road), Al Makkah Cash & Carry (Linthorpe Road), Al-Madina (Parliament Road), Antalya Shawarma (Linthorpe Road), Dee Dee’s Café (Snowdon Road), Efe’s Turkish Restaurant (Linthorpe Road), Meat Smart (Lealholm Crescent) and Pakeeza (Linthorpe Road).

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