The hygiene inspector found 11 dirty areas and a “bad smell” at the Yorkshire Burger King

A council inspector has given a Burger King restaurant a low food hygiene rating after finding a “generally poor” standard of cleanliness in the kitchen and a “foul smell” under a sink.

Burger King in Square Road, Halifax, was awarded one star by Calderdale Council following an inspection of the premises on April 25 this year. In a letter from the council’s community protection team, dated May 7, the restaurant was given a list of issues to fix and told: “The standard of cleanliness of the kitchen structure, including equipment, was generally poor.” .

The council recommended deep cleaning and disinfection and listed 11 areas in need of cleaning, including wall-to-floor joints, tile grout, baseboards, the freezer door, under fryers and an area around the drain pipe.

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The letter stated that “some parts such as baseboards, corner joints and grouting had a heavy build-up of dirt. Some of the areas that require cleaning have been previously mentioned.”

The letter and photographs from inside the premises were released by the council following a Freedom of Information Act request. The letter also noted the condition of a yellow chopping board in the kitchen which was “badly damaged” and should be replaced. The yellow board was said to have been scored at the last inspection.

The restaurant was also told to carry out drain repairs, adding: “The drain cover under the sink creates a foul smell and can contaminate food. The drain cover is not properly fixed”.

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Burger King was also told to repair cracked tiles and replace missing skirting near a hatch. The inspector also noted that, at the time of the visit, HACCP (Hazard Analysis And Critical Control Points) documentation “could not be located”. At the time of the visit, HACCP again could not be located.”

The letter added: “Ensure managers are aware of this documentation and can be easily located. This was mentioned in the previous letter”.

A one-star rating means “major improvement” is needed. Food hygiene/safety was said to be “generally satisfactory” but improvements were needed in premises design and management.

A Burger King UK spokesperson said in a statement Yorkshire Live: “We would like to reassure customers that food safety and hygiene remain a top priority at Burger King UK and we are committed to providing the best possible experience for our guests.

“We can confirm that all corrective actions have been implemented, there are no outstanding issues with the restaurant and we have requested a requalification.”