THE LANCASHIRE Telegraph have researched the takeaways and sandwich shops across East Lancashire with the lowest scores of the doors for food hygiene according to the Food Standard Agency.

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) helps consumers choose where to shop for food by giving them information and rating the hygiene in eateries

More than 40 establishments in East Lancs received a zero or one rating for cleanliness meaning urgent or major improvements are needed.

Here are the scores on the doors in the area....

ZERO (urgent improvement needed)

HYNDBURN

The Golden Apple (Accrington)

Kim’s Chippy (Great Harwood)

Krusty’s Chicken (Accrington)

Pizza Dome (Great Harwood)

Pizza Time Takeaway (Accrington)

ONE (major improvement needed)

HYNDBURN

Barnes Square Chip Shop and Chinese (Accrington)

Canton Takeaway (Church)

Crunchy Plus Chicken (Great Harwood)

Follies (Accrington)

Joe Joes (Church)

Luna Cakeaway (Great Harwood)

Mamma’s (Accrington)

Megna Indian (Accrington)

Omars (Accrington)

Pizza and Kebab Land (Great Harwood)

Pizza Pazz (Accrington)

Sunny (Rishton)

Tasty Grill (Accrington)

Toppings Takeaway (Accrington)

Yates Bakery (Church)

Zam Zam Spice (Great Harwood)

BLACKBURN WITH DARWEN

Cod’s Gift Chippy

Hot and Tender

Manchester Sweet Centre

Munch Box

Naz Kebab House

Rice Bowl

Usha Express (Darwen)

Wangs (Darwen)

Miami’s were given a one rating from their inspection in July but has been recently inspected again and is waiting for a new rating

CHORLEY

Dominos (Buckshaw Village)

Good Boyz

Lisa’s Fish and Chips

Loy Kee takeaway

Pulcinellas

Romana (Euxton)

Romeo’s Food House

Sun Hing (Whittle-le-Woods)

Valentinos (Adlington)

Money Tree (Euxton) is awaiting a new rating.

ROSSENDALE

Pizza King (Bacup)

Spice Valley (Haslingden)

Tony’s Pizza and Kebab House (Bacup)

Zorba Balti (Rawtenstall)

Pizza King (Bacup)

BURNLEY

Cod Father

Dial-A-Samosa (Pendle)

LONGRIDGE

5 In 1

However, the news has led to calls for dirty and unhygienic takeaways in East Lancashire 'should be forced' to display their zero star ratings' after Brexit.

Simon Blackburn from the Local Government Association said: "The conversion of EU law as part of Brexit will impact on many council services — including how to protect people from being served unsafe food.

“The post-Brexit review of EU laws gives the government choices. We believe that food hygiene laws need to be strengthened, with ‘scores on the doors’ ratings being a good area of opportunity to do this.

“Making the display of hygiene ratings compulsory would encourage outlets to improve or maintain high hygiene standards, which would reduce the risk of illness for customers.

"It would also improve consumer confidence and save taxpayers’ money by reducing the need for enforcement action by councils.”

Five takeaways in Hyndburn were given the lowest zero rating and 16 got a score of one — while in Blackburn seven more outlets were in need of were given a score of one.

The Golden Apple (Accrington), Kim’s Chippy (Great Harwood), Krusty’s Chicken (Accrington), Pizza Dome (Great Harwood) and Pizza Time Takeaway (Accrington) were rated zero meaning ‘urgent improvement necessary’.

Major improvements have been called for at a number of Blackburn outlets, including Cod’s Gift Chippy, Hot and Tender, Manchester Sweet Centre, Munch Box, Naz Kebab House and Rice Bowl.

Usha Express and Wangs, both in Darwen, were also given a one rating.

Hyndburn MP Graham Jones said: “I would advocate putting the ratings on doors providing food premises can access a re-inspection and that it’s the re-inspection that’s shown on the door.

“I think this is the fairest way to enforce such a system, as I know of a food premises that had a five-star rating for ten years and that was given a zero rating because it didn’t provide all its paperwork.”

Rossendale and Darwen MP Jake Berry said: “I think people would welcome knowing about the food hygiene ratings of restaurants, takeaways and other food premises.

“I don’t think we can know what impact Brexit will have on regulating food safety as negotiations are ongoing, but Brexit was popular with people in Darwen and Rossendale and across East Lancashire.”

Burnley MP Julie Cooper said: “I’d be totally in favour of food premises being forced to display scores on the doors ratings

“I think it’s right that customers should be assured going into a restaurant that it has the highest possible standard of hygiene for preparing food, serving food and when eating food.

“I think forcing food premises to display their ratings will improve both food hygiene and the standard of food that people eat.”

The Food Standards Agency (FSA), which publishes all hygiene ratings online, has also called for mandatory display of 'scores on the doors'.

It is already compulsory to display food hygiene ratings in Wales and Northern Ireland.

Councils now want the same rules in England and the LGA believes restaurants, pubs, cafes, takeaways, sandwich shops, supermarkets and delicatessens that fail to comply should be fined or prosecuted.

A Blackburn with Darwen Council spokesman said: “All the premises have been advised as to what they need to do to get back into compliance at the time of the visit and we are always happy to work with the premises or any other businesses to improve their hygiene rating.”

Hyndburn Council said it was now working with low scoring outlets to improve hygiene.

Deputy council leader Paul Cox said: “The Food Safety Team found that 85 per cent of our food businesses were compliant at their last inspection, with 59 per cent achieving the highest possible 'five' rating.

"From now until next spring the team will target the remaining 15 per cent which have a food hygiene rating of zero, one and two, visiting all their premises.

"Food businesses which scored zero, one and two have been offered an informal one to one discussion which will review issues from their previous inspection and what they can do to improve their rating."

Cllr Mohammed Ishtiaq, Burnley Council’s environmental health spokesman, said: “The food hygiene rating scheme plays an essential role in the council’s work to protect consumers and improve standards in the food industry.

“It has been designed to make sure that the ratings given to businesses are fair.

“It rewards those businesses that are achieving high standards and also helps to raise standards in those that require improvement."

Philip Mousdale, Pendle Council’s corporate director, said: "Pendle Council takes food hygiene extremely seriously and people can have confidence in our restaurants, cafes and takeaways as our area is among the best in Lancashire for high food standards.

"Out of 798 food outlets in Pendle 650 are rated the top score of 5 which means they have very good standards and over 100 are rated 4 which means they are good.

"There are very few businesses in Pendle which are below the 'satisfactory' 3 rating. We visit these establishments again within 3 months to make sure they have followed our advice to improve food standards.

"Dial-a-Samosa is one such business and they have improved to an acceptable standard. However, they have not asked for a re-rating so their old score is still listed as the current rating.

"At the next programmed inspection this autumn their rating will be re-assessed."

The Lancashire Telegraph contacted all of the zero rated outlets.

May He, who works at Lucky Star and Kim’s Chippy, in Great Harwood, said: “We have made a lot of improvements since our last inspection.

“People have come in many times to see the improvements we have made. The place is much cleaner and has been redecorated.

“The inspectors are yet to come back since last September then they will give us a new score.”

Staff at Pizza Dome in Great Harwood said the zero rating was down to a paperwork issue.

A manager at the Blackburn Road takeaway said: “It’s nothing to do with the hygiene, it was because of the paperwork.

“When staff came I didn’t have it at the premises, it was at home. I don’t have time to do it during the day, so it’s like homework.

“I asked if it would be possible to show it to them at a later date. But they just said because I didn’t have it that was that.”

The Golden Apple (Accrington), Krusty’s Chicken (Accrington), and Pizza Time Takeaway (Accrington) all declined to comment.