WHEN going out for a nice meal or picking up a much deserved takeaway the last thing you should have to worry about is how clean the establishment is that prepared the food.

Thanks to the Scores on the Doors scheme introduced in 2011 all cafes, restaurants and takeaways are now inspected by environmental health officers and their results published.

As the name of the scheme indicates the hygiene rating is then put up at the establishment to let customers know how good or bad it is.

People can also check up on a special website to see where their favourite eateries rank.

The scheme is a massive incentive to owners to make sure they run their businesses correctly.

It also means customers are much less likely to suffer a dodgy tummy because they have eaten something that has been contaminated.

Despite this nearly 120 eateries in East Lancashire were still awarded the bottom two rankings - with officers saying either ‘Urgent Improvement’ or ‘Major Improvement’ was necessary.

Now calls have been made for tougher actions against those who don’t make the grade.

After all we should be confident that what is served up to us won’t make us ill.